Everything I Long For
by everybreatheverymove
Summary: A series of short oneshots, written as Tumblr prompts.
1. The Mile-High Club

**Japril having sex during a flight somewhere.**

* * *

><p>"Can you relax, please?"<p>

He sighs and taps his fingers against the seat arms, his legs nervously beating on the carpeted floor.

April rests a hand over his and softly smiles, "I mean this in the sweetest way possible… you're being a baby right now."

Jackson frowns and turns his attention to her, "I hate planes, alright? That's not my fault."

"You're from Boston and you moved all the way out to Seattle, how the heck do you hate planes?"

He shrugs and continues his anxious movements, calming slightly when her fingers intertwine with his and she rubs her thumb over his palm,

"Jackson?"

"Yeah?" He sounds shaky and completely out of it so she just grins and shifts in her seat.

"You know that when we get to the farm, we're not going to be able to be alone, right?" Her voice is quieter than usual and she glans around to make sure that the elderly woman beside them doesn't overhear. Noticing the light smirk playing on his lips, she continues, "so, I was thinking, maybe we should make the most of things.." She suggests, squeezing his hand before she goes to stand from her seat.

He watches as she walks away, his eyes trailing on her ass as she goes heads down to the restroom.

He'd never once thought that April Kepner would be the kind of person to want to do it on a plane.

Ignoring the uneasy feeling in his stomach, he unbuckled his belt and stands to follow her, stepping close to her side as she slips through one of the small bathroom doors.

He follows her inside and quickly flips the lock switch on the door behind them. Turning around, his lips meet hers as she practically jumps him, her arms flying round his neck and his hands meeting her waist.

Swiftly lifting her up onto the small sink, she place her hand behind her, and accidentally turns the taps on. She giggles against his mouth and he reaches behind her to turn them off, his lips pressing to the skin of her neck as her hands fly to unzip his jeans.

They don't have a lot of time before the plane lands, and his nerves are slowly catching up with him.

"You wanna join the Mile High Club?" He teases.

April grins and pushes a hand against his chest so she can settle her legs around his waist comfortably. "Don't you?"

He eagerly nods and bends back down to kiss her, tongue and teeth as he reaches down to pop open the button of her jeans and pull down the zipper.

Tugging her pants down her thighs, they gather at her knees (and his around his ankles), and she lifts her behind to slip her panties down.

Within a second, he's already entered her and she's slowly starting to pant from the speed, her hands clutching at his shoulders as he pounds into her.

"Sir, are you alright in there?" They hear a stewardess call from the other side of the door, having clearly heard Jackson's grunts.

"I'm fi-fine." He finishes as he gently slaps a hand over April's mouth to stop her from making any noise.

She moans, softly biting into his palm, and he smirks at her devilish grin.

"Are you sure that you're okay, Sir? We can get you a water if-"

Jackson rolls his eyes and slips a hand down between their bodies to rub her as he replies begrudgingly, "I'm just… relieving myself." He says unsurely, hoping that she thinks he was taking a piss and not anything more private.

The woman doesn't reply so they assume that she's walked away, and April cries softly when he removes his hand from her mouth and grasps the sides of her face to kiss her passionately,

He finishes a little while after she does, her fingernails digging through his shirt as she climaxes, her legs quivering around his waist.

"Relieved?" She asks.

He smiles and kisses her again, softly this time, "You have no idea," He pulls out of her and they quickly redress, him still sorting out his belt as they exit the bathroom in a hurry.

Rushing back to their seats, April notices the grin on the old woman beside her's face,

"We weren't-" she goes to explain until the woman cuts her off and winks at a confused Jackson siting down,

"Oh no, dear, I already know." She pushes her glasses back up her nose and eyes the newspaper in her lap, "we've all been there."


	2. The Sex Tape

**Jackson and April make a sex tape.**

* * *

><p>"Are you ready?"<p>

April rolls her eyes and turns around to catch him sitting on the bed with a smirk.

She notices the camera on the bedside table and grins with a faint blush, "I can't believe you talked me into this."

He shrugs and holds his arms out as she moves closer to him, stepping between his legs.

"Is it on?"

Jackson smiles and runs his hands up her arms, stopping at her shoulders and pulling her down to his level. "Yeah."

She swallows a sharp breath and chews into her bottom lip then, her eyes focusing on the ceiling.

"This is insane."

Jackson chuckles and cups the side of her face softly, "It'll be fun. And, besides, that way I can watch it whenever I want."

"You're such a perv." She smacks his arm and shifts to lie down on their bed, her fingers toying with the edge of her nightgown. "This is weird."

He moves to hover over her and places his hands down on either side of her head, "April," He begins, leaning down to press his mouth against the side of her neck, "Relax."

She grasps his biceps and licks her lips, "We're having sex and you're filming it." She tries to argue.

"Will you please just lie back and enjoy this?"

She nods reluctantly and lets him run his hands down her sides and beneath her gown, his fingers sliding up her thighs slowly. She moves a hand over her mouth to contain her nervous giggle when she remembers that there's a camera filming her, filming them.

"April!"

She shakes her head and bites her lip as she stares up at him, her hands flying to grasp his face between her palms. "I'm sorry." She apologizes, pulling her legs up at his sides and clasping her ankles around his ass with a grin, "It's just-" She flips them over, her hands pushing against his chest so she straddles his waist.

The redhead leans over him to retrieve his camera and holds it above his face, pointing it towards hers as she glances down into the screen.

"You've had a change of heart." Jackson mutters as she slips her free hand down his chest and under his boxers, her palm wrapping around him habitually.

"Well, kitty hasn't come out to play in awhile." She teases quietly with a faint nod and a devilish smirk as she places the video camera down beside them on the bed and rests both of her hands on his abdomen.

He cups the side of her face and pulls her down to meet his lips, his tongue seeking an entrance to her mouth that she gladly accepts.

April's hands push down against his stomach as she lifts herself to settle over him correctly, adjusting her nightgown. He pulls the material up to rest around her waist, his fingers tracing her skin as his eyes closing shut tight at the sight of her.

"You weren't wearing anything under that?" He croaks and she giggles, shaking her head as she slips his erection from his boxers to press against her center.

"I must have forgotten."

Jackson groans and grips her waist, pulling her down onto his length quickly, watching as she sucks on her bottom lip and closes her eyes in delight.

He can feel her begin to tighten around him as he shifts his hips upwards, meeting her every movement, her hands pressing harder and harder into his abdomen with every thrust.

She leans down to him, pressing her mouth to his roughly, her hands clawing at the skin of his shoulders as her hands move across his skin and she gasps every few seconds. He smirks as he responds to her kiss passionately, keeping a grasp on her hips and holding her in place above him, against him.

They finish a couple of moments after, him coming after her and her body slowly collapsing down on top of his own.

"April?" She lies against his chest and nods her head, her hand sprawling across his right bicep.

"Yeah?"

He grins and runs a hand through her hair, "We just made porn."

She rolls her eyes, unnoticed by him, and sighs with a small smile, "I know."

She sits up beside him then, pulling her nightgown from around her waist and laying across his legs as he picks up the camera and follows her lead.

"D'you wanna watch it?" She asks, raising a brow and watching as his face lights up like a child. He nods with a devilish smirk and she pries the video from his hands, flicking the 'play' button on and turning herself so they're facing the same way. She rests comfortably in his lap as they watch themselves on the screen, their faces grimacing at the sight.


	3. The First Fight

**Jackson and April's first fight (and make-up sex)**

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you kicked me off of that surgery!"<p>

He rolls his eyes and rests his hands on his hips as she shrugs off her jacket and tosses her keys into the bowl beside the door.

"That guy was a lunatic, alright? He assaulted a nurse, so I'm sorry if I didn't want him near you!" He fakes an apology and she just laughs.

"I'm not a little child, Jackson! I'm a grown woman, I can take care of myself!"

"I know you can but that doesn't change the fact that I don't want you to be around violent patients all day."

"He was under restraints!"

"After he'd already thrown the nurse to the floor! What if that had been you, huh?"

"Then I would have called for backup."

"You shouldn't have to."

April sighs and closes her eyes for brief second, "Well, that's not your decision to make."

"Technically, I'm still your boss so yes, I do get to make those kind of decisions."

"Oh, you're my boss now?! You're supposed to be my husband, so don't treat me like I'm inferior to you!"

"I'm not treating you like anything. At work, I'm your boss, but when I come home then I get to be your husband again and we don't have to argue about stuff like this. Can we stop arguing?"

She huffs, finally locking eyes with him and letting a small smile erupt on her face, "We're not done talking about this, you know." She informs him and he just nods with a grin, stepping closer to her and placing his hands on her waist.

She stares up at Jackson, hands grasping his neck and licking her lips,

"Can you be my boss right now?"

He chuckles and picks her up then, "Oh, really?" She responds by wrapping her legs around his waist as he beings to walk them over to their bedroom.

"No, here."

"In the kitchen again?"

She smirks and cups his face as she chess on her bottom lip, "And don't forget the sauce."


	4. The Beach Sex

**Jackson and April have sex on the beach (and not the drink!)**

* * *

><p>"Remember when we were in our fourth year of residency?" She quips, swaying their hands back and forth as they stroll down the warm sand.<p>

They'd only been married that morning, and after a couple of rounds in the bedroom to get re-acquainted and a truck full of day tasty deserts sent up to their room from the hotel's service, she'd decided that she wanted to take a walk. With him, her husband. The word still feels quite foreign to her lips.

"Yeah."

April stops walking and turns to look at him, dropping his hand and resting her palm against his chest.

It's two o'clock in the morning and the beach is empty as sin, the only other company being the birds and a few jellyfish laying dead nearby.

"It's no sunset but-" He smirks then, suddenly realising what she was refering to. She slips a hand down his chest to pull his crinkled shirt from the waistband his pants and she works on undoing the buttons.

Jackson cups the side of her face, "You wanna do this here? Now?"

She nods eagerly and continues to undress him, pushing his shirt from his shoulders. He quickly grasps her wrists and tugs her down onto the ground, her red hair sprawling across the sand as he moves to hover above her, his hands holding himself up.

She licks her lips and softly giggles when he pulls on the edge of her dress, drawing the material up over her thighs, "I think this might be easier if we aren't completely naked."

April agrees, her head nodding and her lips tight, "Yeah." She's really not keen on the idea of somebody finding them there, lying bare and exposed and sweaty.

Her dress pools at her waist and he slides his hands beneath the cloth to pull down her panties. She moans softly at the loss and he smirks, "Somebody's impatient."

She grips his shoulders when he quickly unzips his pants, and somehow manages to enter her without his jeans reaching any lower than his ass.

It's needy, and fast, and kinda rough, but she likes it. It's thrilling, and heated, and she lets a small cry escape her mouth when he clamps his mouth over hers, his tongue tracing her lips smoothly.

She's not lying anymore. She'd done it; she's had beach sex.

He grabs the backs of her knees and pulls them up, moving to rest a hand beside her head to keep himself propped up. His pace inclines and her face creases, throat dry and eyes closed in sweet agony.

She soon reaches her climax soon, knuckles white as she clamps her hands to his broad shoulders, and he follows her not long after, mouth tracing and breathing against hers and eyes wide.

"That was fun."

"Yep."

"I think you got sand in your-"

She grimaces, "Thanks.


	5. The Jealous New Husband

**A patient is flirting with April but she doesn't realise it, and Jackson gets jealous.**

* * *

><p>"That must have been a nasty fall…"<p>

The patient looks up at her with a casual shrug, "Didn't hurt that bad, but I guess my leg isn't looking too great, is it?"

April smiles softly as she applies padding onto the man's bloody wound to control the bleeding, "You could have done a lot worse." She informs him.

The man, around his thirties with black hair and deep brown eyes, stares her up and down slowly, "Yeah? I bet you could do a lot of bad things to me." He suggests, and April pauses.

Her hand stops against the gash on his leg, and she frowns, "I'm sorry."

"As a doctor, I mean," he begins, lying through his teeth, "I bet you could kill me or tear my leg off or something."

She fails to see through him and smiles again, returning to her work, "Oh, right. Yeah, I guess I could."

"You're very beautiful, you know?"

She laughs and nods at him, "Thank you."

The curtain separating the man's ER bed from another is quickly dragged open, and she frowns in confusion at the other doctor's stance.

"Is there something I can help you with, Doctor Avery?" She raises a brow and watches her husband questionably.

Jackson grins and moves closer to her, stopping behind her and leaning over her shoulder.

"Just checking up on you, is all." He smiles and sends daggers to the patient lay in the bed, trying to hit up his wife, unwilling to admit that he was getting jealous. He knows that he has absolutely no reason to be, but it's still hard to hear another man make a pass at your wife.

April nods and throws the soaked cloths into the trash as she turns around and looks to him, not realising just how close to her he was, "Doctor Avery," she begins, urging him to move a little so she can get past.

He budges, his eyes never leaving the other man's, shooting evil glares at him as he speaks, "What time are you going to be home tonight?"

She turns back to him and smiles, "Probably around ten. I still have some charting to do and a couple of patients to check up on."

He nods then, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her against him, "Don't be home too late. I have a lot of bad things planned." He teases her quietly, but just loud enough for the patient to hear.

He knows it's unethical, but overhearing the man try to put the moves on his wife so suggestively made him do and think possessive things. She was his, and he wanted everybody to know that.

"Doctor Avery!" She scolds, smacking a hand against his chest and ignoring his proud chuckle, "I'll see you at home."

He lets his hand rest on her hip for a second longer before he glares at her patient one more time and finally leaves her to get back to work.

Yeah, now he has to find something dirty to plan for the evening.


	6. The Wedding Rings

**Jackson and April picking out their wedding bands on the way to lake Tahoe.**

* * *

><p>He'd been driving for about eleven hours when she points out that their commitment to each other might seem more real if they owned their own wedding bands. He had agreed and they'd found a small jeweller's not that far from Lake Tahoe, their awaiting destination.<p>

"Hello."

They turn around at the sound of an elder woman's voice. She's wearing a dark blue pencil skirt and black shoes and her blouse is fairly old-fashioned.

"Could I help you with anything?"

"Hey. Uh, we need rings." Jackson says with a smile, wrapping an arm around April's waist and pulling her to him.

The woman stares between them, "Are you looking for an engagement ring or-"

April cuts her off, hating to sound rude but in a hurry, "Nope. No engagement, just a ring. A wedding ring. Two rings actually. One for me, and for him." She points to herself and Jackson with a smile.

"You don't want an engagement ring?" Jackson asks her.

The redhead shakes her head, "I don't need one, we're barely gonna be engaged."

"Yeah, but you-"

She turns to him fully and rests her palms against his chest, "Jackson, I want to marry you now. I don't want to be engaged because then I might freak out and you'll think that I'm changing my mind when I'm not. I want to be married. Now. To you. I don't want to get engaged because I want to start my forever with you right now."

He's not completely understanding what she's trying to get across but he goes along with it anyway. So, he nod and turns to the saleswoman with a smile, "Two wedding bands."

The woman smiles and leads them over to a glass showcase at the end of the room.

"These ones are nice and simple, they come as a pair."

Jackson holds up a finger and turns to his bride-to-be, "Honestly, I have no idea about any of this stuff and I'm down with something simple, but I want you to have whatever you want, okay?"

She nods, kind of uncertain and a little out of it, "Okay."

"Are we limiting ourselves to a price range or-"

"Nope." Jackson cuts the woman off this time, and he glances down at April with a gently smile, "She can choose whatever she wants, I don't care how much it costs."

"Jackson, I don't wanna-"

The woman beside them grins, "I'm guessing he wasn't the groom this morning…"

April chews on her bottom lip with a nervous laugh, "No. But this- This is so much better." She speaks, taking his hand and sharing a smile with the woman. Her eyes lower to the showcase and quickly find two perfectly cut and shaped rings. The man's is a simple silver band. It's thin and simple, and she shifts her gaze to the one beside it. It's the perfect wedding band for her, she thinks. It's light and silver and identical to the man's aside from the small diamonds going around it.

"Those ones." She points them out and waits for the woman to drag the cushion from the display. They're perfect. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Jackson seems content with the rings, a seemingly excited smile on his face as he stares down at the silver bands. "You're sure?"

April nods eagerly and turns to the jewellery story clerk. "I'm sure. These are the ones."


	7. The Grocery Story Debate

**Jackson and April do the shopping.**

* * *

><p>"Did you get the mushrooms?" April asks him, not even looking up from her shopping list as she pushes the truck forward.<p>

"I can't find them." Jackson tells her with a frown as he grabs a bag of oranges from the aisle.

She stops the cart from moving and raises a brow at him, "They're always in the same spot."

"I know that, but they aren't now. Okay? What do you want me to do about it?" He rolls his eyes and she smacks his chest with the back of her hand.

"Don't roll those beautiful eyes at me."

He chuckles and grins down at her, "I won't. _Honey_."

She softly blushes and lets go of the shopping cart to step close to her husband, "Oh, I'm _honey_ now am I?" She stares up at him, her hands moving to his waist. "_Baby_."

Jackson smirks and shakes his head with a glance down at her, "We're gonna use pet names now? Really?"

She shrugs and rests her fingers on his belt, "I don't know, I kinda like it."

He knows what she's trying to do to him, so he grasps her wrists gently and pulls them away from his jeans, "You know what I like?" He asks her and she frowns. "You. In sweet, sweet agony beneath me. Or above me, I'm not sure whi-"

"Jackson!" She smacks him again, her mouth agape in disbelief, "There are kids here." She feels the need to remind him.

He grins, "Oh, I could come up with a lot worse than that."

She bites the insides of her cheeks and nods, "I know you can, I- I really do. And I really, _really_ want you to. But not right now, okay? Right now I need you to find the mushrooms."

He rolls his eyes again and backs away from her, quickly kissing the top of her head before he walks off down the aisle, "I will find the mushrooms for you. _Honey_."

She giggles at the name and shakes her head, failing to hold back her smirk, "Thank you, baby!"


	8. The Virginity Flashback

**They remember how she wanted to be a virgin for her husband, and how she actually was.**

* * *

><p>"Hi." April says, wrapping her arms around his waist as she steps beside him.<p>

"Hey." Jackson smiles and leans down to kiss her forehead softly, "How was your day?"

She shrugs and lets go of him, turning to pick up his beer from the counter to take a sip, "Long. I had this patient. This, uh, twenty-five year old. She was engaged, and so nice, bu she took a fall from her balcony and her leg was like slashed open."

"Well, how did her surgery go?" He asks, peeling his bottle of beer from her small hands and resting it back on the kitchen counter.

He steps closer to her, her back pressing against the sink, and he moves both of his hands to the sides of her waist comfortably.

April chews on her lips and nods slowly, "She's fine. I saved her." She kind of gushes and he grins.

"Look at my wife, all saving people and stuff." Jackson teases, pressing his forehead against hers and breathing in her scent.

The redhead giggles and trails her hands up his chest to rest on his broad shoulders, "You want to know something?"

He raises a brow and urges her to continue, "Yeah?"

"She is a virgin." She tells him quietly, her eyes darting back and forth between his own.

"Oh, yeah." He believes, running his hands up her sides and cupping the sides of ehr face.

She nods and licks her lips, "Uhuh, and it's sweet because she told me that she was waiting for the perfect guy, for her husband."

Jackson's not entirely sure where was going with her story, but he listens on, and only gently frowns in confusion when she starts to smile.

"And then you know what I realised?"

He thinks he's understanding it now. Maybe.

"I wanted the same thing. I was waiting for my husband." She reminds him.

Yeah. He gets it.

"I remember that." He informs her with a slight smirk.

April continues, "And I did. I waited, and waited, and then I lost my virginity to my husband."

"He just wasn't your husband at the time." He slips his hands to her hips again and lifts her up to sit against the sink and she complies, wrapping her arms around his neck for easier movement.

"We just did things a little out of order is all." She tells him, her tongue darting to her lips and she catches him staring down at her mouth, "And you know what?"

He's partially out of it, too focused on her lips and her hands trailing down the back of his shirt, her fingernails tracing his skin,"What?"

"Now I can have sex _whenever_ I want." She speaks teasingly, her brows raised and her mouth a devilish grin.

He chuckles then, "Whenever?"

"And wherever." She nods slowly, wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him tighter against her body.

His hands find the hem of her t-shirt and he begins to pull it upwards. Jackson leans down to press his lips to the side of her neck while he glances up at her heatedly, "Anywhere?"

She bites her lip and smirks, "Yep. And it's even better because my husband has a big-"

She gets cut off then, his mouth covering hers passionately and her mind adrift at the feeling of his hands against her flesh, and she'll never get tired of it.


	9. The College Girlfriend

**Japril are married, and an old girlfriend of Jackson's comes to town.**

* * *

><p>She shrieks when she feels a pair of arms slip around her waist, and a head coming to rest against her shoulder. She softly turns her head and meets her husbands gaze, "You're in a good mood."<p>

He grins and pulls her closer to his front, "well, why wouldn't I be? I have a great job and an amazing wife who I can-"

"Oh my god, Jackson Avery?"

They spin around at the mention of his name, a confused frown gracing April's face as Jackson rolls his eyes with a deep sigh.

"Shit."

"Who is that?"

He rubs a hand over his face and plasters a smile on his face when the woman approaches them from across the room, "my college girlfriend."

April gasps, arms folding over her chest and watching as the blonde stalks over to them, stopping in front of her husband with a smirk on her face.

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" The blonde fans, eyeing Jackson up and down, "I guess you really meant it when you said that you wanted to become a doctor."

He nods and nervously blinks a couple of times, "I said I would, didn't I?"

The woman smiles, licking her lips and watching him with a glint in her eyes until April speaks up.

The redhead holds out her hand and steps closer to Jackson, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"Ashley." The other woman replies, shaking her hand with a little grin, "And you are?"

"April Kepner-Avery."

"Avery, as in?"

April nods happily and feels Jackson wrap his arm around her waist possessively, "as in my wife."

The blonde pauses, watching the pair for a moment before she lightly laughs and shakes her head, "What a surprise. I remember you always telling me that you never wanted to get married,"

Jackson pipes in, cutting her off, "Well, things change."

"You're telling me. I thought you'd become a model or an actor or something that highlights your face."

"I never wanted to do that. And I think that saving people's lives is a lot more rewarding than flashing my smile."

"It's a nice smile though."

April watches them interact, chewing on her bottom lip as they talk. She doesn't see what could have made Jackson ever fall for the girl in the first place, well aside from the long legs and the obvious beach girl attitude.

"Yeah, well, you never saw me smile like I do now." He briefly glances down at April and she grins at the hint.

She ignores his comment and folds her arms over her chest sharply, "Anyway, do you know where I could find Doctor Shepherd. I think my sister has an appointment with him?"

"He's probably up on the fourth floor. You should ask the nurse on the desk when you get off of the elevator." April informs her, moving her hand to move against Jackson's chest, and she leans into him.

Ashley hides a frown, and glances back down to April, "it was nice seeing you again, Jackson. And it's lovely to meet you, April."

"Same here." The redhead perkily responds. She leans up to her husband, making sure that the blonde is still within hearing distance, "I have twenty minutes if you wanna-"

He smirks and grabs her hand, pulling her down the hallway and into an on-call room.

"Part of me thinks that you were jealous just then…"

She shrugs and tugs on his jacket, pulling it off of his body as he reaches for her scrub top, "do I need to be?"

She removes her top and unties her scrub pants, letting them drop down her legs. He picks her up then, after slipping his own top over his head, "D'you even need to ask?" She lifts herself up and wraps her legs around his waist, her arms going around his neck, and she giggles as he drops her down on the bed with a lift thud.


	10. The Baby Name Game

**Jackson and April go shopping for baby items and try to decide on a name (and fail, of course).**

* * *

><p>"I can't decide between the pink or the blue?" She holds up both little sticks of paper, tilting her head from side to side.<p>

Jackson rolls his eyes, "Go for the white one."

"I'm not holding the white one." She frowns.

"Well, then, pick it up."

April shakes her head and smacks his chest lightly, "Could you please put a little more thought into this? This is our child's room, okay? We can't just have white."

"Why not? You don't even wanna know the sex of the baby so you can't choose between pink or blue. What if we have a boy and it's got a pink room with bows and crap?" He raises a brow and stretches his arms tiredly.

She sighs and places the coloured charts down. She smiles up at him and wraps her arms his waist as he lowers his arms to pull her against him.

His clasps his hand behind her back and kisses her forehead, "Choose any colour you want."

She grins, "What about yellow? But like, pale yellow?"

"Sure." He smiles and wraps his arm around her shoulder as she heads off down the aisle and stops in front of the tins of paint. She points to the tin of Little Lemonade paint and he leans forward the grab it. "We're gonna need masks or whatever because you are not inhaling this crap."

"You're the one painting."

Jackson nods once, "Yeah, but you're still gonna be around, and I don't want these fumes intoxicating my little Jordan."

She rolls her eyes then, "Jordan? No, no, no, we agreed no basketball star names. Besides, I thought we settled on Reed?"

"I get that you miss her, because I do, too. But I mean, come on, really? Reed, for a boy?"

"Reed works both ways. Oh, and please, Jordan is such a good name for a little girl?" She laughs and follows hm as he places the huge tin of paint down on the counter.

"Uh, yeah."

"Uh, no. We're not naming our child Jordan."

"Well, we're not naming it Reed."

"Don't call it, it." She scolds him with a hint of a smile

He grins down at her, "Okay, we're not naming our little star, our little piece of heaven, Reed."

"That's better." She nods proudly and steps behind him, slipping her hands into the front pockets of his jeans as she leans against his back, "What are we gonna name her then?"

He smirks again and glances down at her from the corner of his eye as he pays for the paint, "I think you mean, what are we gonna name him." He corrects her and she pushes against his back harshly.

"Let's just go home."


	11. The Wilson-Karev Wedding

**Jackson and April attend Alex and Jo's wedding.**

* * *

><p>"Would you please calm down?"<p>

She glares at him from the corner of her eye and tugs on the hem of her dress, trying to pull it further down her legs.

"April, seriously, you look fine!"

"I'm sorry if I don't feel comfortable in a short dress when I'm the size of a freaking house!" She squeaks and gives up on the dress, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff. She feels her husband's presence beside her as he walks around the car and stops in front of her.

"You're barely even three months." He tells her with a smile.

The redhead pouts, "Well, I feel like I'm about seven months along and I've eaten five cakes so…"

Jackson grins down at her and steps forward, pinning her back against the passenger side door. He rests both hands on either side of her head and she holds back a smirk.

"Don't look at me like that." She warns him and slouches back against their car.

He chuckles softly and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, "Like what?"

April shakes her head with a smile, "Like what got me pregnant in the first place."

"I'm looking at you like you're the woman I love, and the mother of my child, and like the woman who is going to walk in there with me and watch our friend get married."

She rolls her eyes and places her hands against his suit-clad chest with a grin, "Do we have to stay after the ceremony?" She asks him quietly, her hands tracing up his chest until she grasps the back of his neck in her hands.

Jackson licks his lips and glances down at her mouth, watching as she chews on her bottom lip, "You know that you get really horny when you're pregnant, right?"

She taps his arms with a smile before she presses her fingers to the base of his skull and pulls him down to meet her lips.

They pull away after a minute when Cristina walks past them and wolf-whistles with a laugh.

"Should I tell Evil Spawn that his best man is skipping the wedding to boink his wife?"

Jackson groans and lets his head drop to April's shoulder, who only rolls her eyes again.

She pushes against his chest and grabs his hand as they walk towards the church. "Later."

He frowns, "You were the one who brought it up."

"And you're the one that won't be getting it up if you don't get in there and support Alex. Let's go." She tugs on his hand and they enter the church.

"Kepner!" Arizona calls out and April quickly rushes over to the blonde with a grin as they start to gush about the baby.

Jackson seeks out the groom and slaps a hand again his shoulder when he spots him already at the altar.

Alex turns around and groans, pulling on his tie.

"I can't believe I'm doing this again, man." He shakes his head with a frown.

"Dude, you proposed to her. Besides, I thought the last time was a quick do?"

Karev shrugs, "Yeah, but it was different. She was, you know, dying and I thought that was it. But this- Dude, this is it. There ain't no going back."

The music starts to play and everybody glances toward the entrance as the bridesmaids make their way down the aisle, and Alex takes a deep breath as Jo walks out.

"No going back." He whispers to himself with a nervous smile, and Jackson grins, his eyes catching his wife's bright smile as she stares after the bride.

"No going back."


	12. The Secret Father Surprise

**Jackson realises April's pregnant before she does.**

* * *

><p>"Hey, can you pass me that paper?"<p>

April frowns but ands him the sheet roughly, "You could have gotten it yourself, you know…"

He raises a brow with a slight grin, "Are you okay?"

She shrugs and pouts her lips slightly, "I'm just tired, is all. And I'm starving, did they have any pudding left in the cafeteria?"

"I don't know." Jackson replies casually as he glances down at the document.

She kicks him under the table to catch his attention and he groans.

"Ahh, what the hell?"

The redhead crosses her arms and stares at him, "I asked you a question."

"What are you, PMS-ing, Jesus." He shakes his head with a sigh and frowns when she tightens her lips and tears swell in her eyes. "Oh, crap." He stands up from his seat and walks around the table before he kneels in front of her calmly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

"Look, I'm just really tired, and I'm hungry, and my feet are freaking killing me, alright? So, can you please just go and get me some pudding? You're in charge of this place now, right? Get them to make some!"

Jackson laughs and rubs her knees softly before he stands with a smile, "Are you- You know… PMS-ing?"

"Why do you want to know?"

His eyes widen and he stares down at her carefully, "I'm just wondering, okay? I'll just- I'm gonna go and get your cake, alright?"

"Pudding!"

"Right. Pudding.: He corrects himself and kisses her forehead quickly before leaving the room with a grin as he closes the office door.

She'd been throwing up every morning for like a week and, though he's not exactly an expert on all things baby-related, he's pretty sure that cravings and tiredness are other symptoms of pregnancy.

"Yep, she's pregnant." He mutters to himself as he walks towards the cafeteria, unable to hide his grin.


	13. The Greatest T-Shirt

**April telling Jackson she's pregnant for the first time.**

* * *

><p>He throws his keys down on the table beside the door with a sigh, and he glances around their apartment with a soft frown.<p>

"April?"

It takes her a second to reply, but he hears her voice ring from the bedroom. "I'm here."

Jackson makes his way into their bedroom and stops short in the doorway, watching as his wife turns around and holds her hands out.

It's not her hands that catch his attention, but rather what she's holding in them.

"World's Greatest Dad", the words written across the blue t-shirt catch his attention and he creases his forehead in confusion, "What's-"

April grins on the other side of the room, "What do you think it means?"

Jackson's face lights up then, "You're pregnant?" She nods eagerly and he quickly rushes over to her side, abandoning the t-shirt on the floor. She squeals when he picks her up and twirls her around.

"It worked? We're having a baby?" He sounds so happy, and so ecstatic at the thought of her carrying his child, their child.

April giggles and wraps her arms around his neck contently before resting her forehead against his and biting her bottom lip. "We're having a baby." She tells him quietly and he smiles a toothy grin.

"We're having a baby." He repeats after her and deposits her down on the bed softly. "Me and you."

She smiles and pulls him down to her, "Me and you."


	14. The Family Visit

**April's family comes to visit her and find out her and Jackson are married.**

* * *

><p>The doorbell rings around six in the morning and she runs toward it, not exactly eager but mostly trying to avoid her husband's tickling hands.<p>

She shrieks when he grabs her waist, pulling her back against his bare chest and running his hands down her sides and she giggles like a child.

"Stop!" He's been like this all morning, since they woke up and she left him wanting more in bed. One round apparently wasn't enough for him in the morning anymore, she had joked and he had just grabbed her. And proved that statement right, of course.

April gasps when he slips his hands to her legs and pulls her up to his body, and she wraps an around his neck to steady herself.

"Jackson!" He picks her up and carries her over to their front door, letting her pull it open with a laugh and he hides behind the door to shield his half-naked body. If his mother was at the door, he really didn't want-

"Well, this is nice."

Okay, it's not his mother. It's worse.

He quickly drops his wife to the floor, and she pulls his old worn-out shirt that covered her body down her thighs, a bashful look on her face.

Jackson steps out from behind the door, careful to hide behind her as to avoid her sister's gaze dropping to his crotch. Yeah, that would be awkward, since he's only wearing a pair of tight black boxers that he'd managed to slip on after their shower and before she'd tried to get him naked again.

Kimmie Kepner smirks, "I think I remember you." She points out, raising a brow wickedly and stepping into their apartment by her own invitation.

Luckily, it's only her younger sister and her mother, and April thanks her stars that her father wasn't at the door. Then again, her mother is just stood there like a door-stop.

"Mom." The redhead greets, pushing her hair from her face and grabbing Jackson's hand.

Karen Kepner smiles then and holds out a hand, "I don't think we've ever had the pleasure of being introduced. I'm Karen and, if I recall correctly, you were that Avery man, right?"

Jackson clears his throat and shakes her hand with a smile, "Yeah. M'am, I, uh- I'm Jackson."

The older woman nods and turns to grab the suitcase behind her, "Shall I come in?"

They quickly step back and let her through, and they push the door shut after she enters. April pushes against his chest, ushering him toward the bedroom to get dressed and he sighs. "Bring me some sweats!" She mutters loudly to him and he nods as he flicks through theid drawers.

April walks over to her guests, sitting happily on the couch. She clasps her hands and sways them back and forth, "I didn't know you guys were coming over."

Kimmie shrugs, crossing her legs and licking her lips, "We just thought we'd stop by. We haven't seen you since the wedding." She grins with a wink as Jackson walks back into the living room. He steps beside April and slips his hand into the front pockets of his sweat pants as April slips on a pair of shorts.

"Can I get you guys anything?" It's kind of awkward and he smiles politely

Karen nods with a look at him up and down, "I'd like a cup of coffee."

He quickly agrees and heads off into the kitchen are to fix her drink. He could do with one himself right now.

April sighs and takes a seat opposite her family, chewing on her bottom lip and resting her head in her hand unsurely.

Kimmie gasps, "Holy Ducky, what is that on your hand?" She exclaims, eyeing April's left hand in shock.

The sister fails to hide her smile and she glances down at the ring on her finger, "Oh, right. Uh, we- We are married."

"You got hitched?"

"You're telling me you ran away from one wedding to get into another?" Her mother asks in disbelief, "Please tell me it's to him, at least." She nods her head toward Jackson, who seems completely oblivious to their conversation.

April grins, "Yeah. We kind of eloped, I guess? I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Mom, I know-"

Karen shales her head and grasps her daughter;s hand tightly, "Oh, hush. If you're happy, I'm happy. And I'm guessing you're pretty great waking up next to him every morning." She teases, "Now, tell me all about it."

Kimmie cuts in, coming to sit beside her sister, "And tell us about that rock on your finger!"


	15. The Very Bad Thing

**April surprises Jackson with lingerie under her doctor coat because he's head of the board.**

* * *

><p>"Come in."<p>

The door creaks open but Jackson doesn't look up, instead just focuses on his papers and raises a brow.

"Yes?"

With the small slam of the door, he glances up to find his wife with her back to him. She spins around with a smile and he taps his pen to the office desk with a faint smirk.

April licks her lips and walks closer to the bureau, hands stuffed in her lab coat pockets. "I did something."

"Did you kill someone?" He jokes and she pulls a face with a kick to his leg beneath the desk. He's not completely ignorant to the heels she's wearing, especially since she's more of a easy sneakers kind of girl. "What did you do?" Now he's curious.

She grins and steps in front of him, her behind grazing the wooden table. "I did something bad."

"Are you playing a game right now?"

She shrugs and continue with a pout, "Maybe." She brushes his papers to the side casually, careful not to make a mess (because she'd hate to clean up afterward, he knows)

Jackson leans back in his office chair and watches as she sits herself on the desk, coat pulled over her chest tightly. He squints playfully, "How bad are talking?"

"Very bad." She clarifies for him, voice low, and blinking her long lashes rapidly and kicking her legs back and forth.

She slowly lets go of her lab coat and lets it slip open and he groans in delight at the view. She's wearing a skimpy pair of panties that he fails to see the utility of, and a black push-up bra to match that he definitely enjoys. Oh, and she has this garter around her right thigh that he can't wait to pull off and her red hair is bouncing around her shoulders. That's it, that's all of it, and he's slowly dying.

"Are you trying to kill me?" He mutters when she drags his chair forward and pushes her heels against it. "April-"

"I've been very bad." She informs him, face pouting seductively and eyes wide. Okay, she's kind of insecure about this. Yes, they're married, and she knows how much he enjoys sex with her, but that doesn't change the fact that she feels incredibly awkward right now.

He pushes the coat from her shoulders and she slips it down, tossing onto the office room floor. She never thought she'd be seducing her husband in the board meeting room. None the less, encouraging him to bang her on the table where her co-workers and friends (and her husband in question) sit to discuss important topics.

"I can see that." He smirks and grasps the backs of her knees to tug her towards the edge of the desk. His hands trace her skin and she bites her lip mischievously, "I think you need to be punished."

She nods slowly yet happily and shrugs her shoulders, "If you say so."

Yes, her husband being in charge of the board and having power is kind of incredibly sexy and frustrating, so she's gonna take advantage of it and play along.

"What should I do with you?" He's completely forgotten about the paperwork he needs to fill out and he's entirely focused on his wife's breasts and lack of clothing.

She licks her lips, "Anything you see fit."

Jackson smirks and cups her face, "Oh, I know something that'll fit." She holds back a laugh and he does the same, clearly just as amused at she is.

April tugs on the collar of his dark blue scrubs, and drags him closer. "It's really cold in here, so do something please?" She mumbles, back to her usual higher-pitched April voice and he smiles. Jackson stands up and slips his hands up her thighs, toying with the garter around her leg.

"Well then, I guess we need to turn the heat up."

She giggles at his teasing suggestion and wraps her arms around his neck when he lays her down across the desk. Finally.


	16. The Awkward Position

**April tying Jackson up and having her way with him, but Arizona and Cristina walk in because April gave them the keys to pick something up and forgot.**

* * *

><p>"Why did Kepner give you a key?"<p>

"In case I needed it." Arizona shrugs and slips the key into the lock, turning the handle on her friend's door. "Okay, where is the cake?" She needed a birthday cake making for Sophia's fourth birthday party and April was nice enough to offer her home-grown catering services, free of charge.

The pair enter the apartment and Cristina glances around with a smirk, "Well, Avery really went all out with this place, didn't he?" She crosses her arms and walks around as Arizona heads off into the kitchen area.

A sudden bang in the room next door catches the brunette's attention and Arizona frowns, confused since April was meant to be working the night shift and Jackson was in Boston, doing something that he dubbed important for the hospital.

Cristina licks her lips with a grin and heads past the peds surgeon, slipping down the short hallway. She notices a door open, seemingly the bedroom, and raises a brow suggestively when she hears Kepner's high-pitched voice through the open door.

"Is she-" She whispers and Arizona nods slowly, just as stunned as she is.

The cardio surgeon pushes the door open, eyes wide and mouth agape at the sight before her.

"Damn, Kepner. You just keep on surprising me." She teases with a shake of the head and the redhead gasps across the room, hands clutching the skin of her husband beneath her and legs falling open to his sides.

"Cristina!"

She ducks her head and presses herself down against Jackson to cover her naked chest and hide her flustered face. She really wasn't expecting anybody to walk in on them like this. Completely naked, with her husband tied down, sauce trickling down his glorious chest and April licking it off.

He just stiffs a smirk and twitches his nose, noticing Arizona's eyes drifting to his hands bound to the posts of their bed. "This is not what- What it looks like."

The blonde just stares at him and Cristina laughs, slipping her phone from her jeans, already calling Meredith.

"Oh my gosh! Get out!" April squeaks from her position.

She leaves the room and cackles down the phone and Arizona rolls her eyes, avoiding eye contact with them both since she caught sight of their current disposition. April was actually- ok.

She squints and shakes her head uncomfortably, "So, when you say you're away on business, you're really-"

"Yeah, Avery's a little tied up right now." Cristina jokes, coming back into the room with her cell phone outstretched. "Mer's on the phone, say hi."

Jackson groans and glares at her, "Get the hell out of my bedroom! And if you speak of this to anybody, ever, I will kill you myself."

Arizona quickly leaves the room, waving off, "Thanks for the cake Kepner. Enjoy the sauce!"

Cristina laughs again and follows, closing the door behind her, "I think it was syrup. The stickier, the better."


	17. The Even Worse Thing

**Mark and Cristina walk in on Jackson and April in the boardroom having sex. _Follow-up to Chapter 15._**

* * *

><p>She'd only been searching for about ten minutes when she finally found him.<p>

Cristina needed him for a consult, and he'd been ignoring his pages and calls so far. She'd searched every on-call room and rolled her eyes at every nurse that crossed her path, but finally she'd found him.

She just wasn't expecting to find a petite redhead tucked beneath his body, back arched and legs around him, and his hands clutching at the board room desk.

"Holy cow."

She covers her face after shouting and frowns.

The couple quickly move, and April shrieks as she ducks to the floor to hide as though Cristina hadn't already seen her.

Jackson stands still behind the desk, hands over his crotch and trying to tie up his scrub laces to cover himself.

"Can you guys seriously not keep it in your pants for two seconds?" Cristina shakes her head with a faint smirk. Been there, done that.

"We're newlyweds." Jackson reasons.

April rises up then, lab coat pulled back over her body and hands wrapping it securely around her waist, "Please don't tell anyone."

"Don't tell anyone what?" A voice comes through the door, and Jackson groans when he spots his former mentor entering the room. "Avery, my man!" Mark pauses and glances around the room after noticing the awkward silence, "What's going on in here?"

Cristina laughs, "Your boy and his wife here were getting freaky on my desk."

Jackson squints, "It's not your desk!"

"It's shared, that's even worse!" She barks back.

April chews on her lip for a second before pointing towards the door and glancing at the other people in the room, "I'm just gonna g-"

"Take your bra with you." Mark tells her, nodding his head to her abandoned garment on the floor. She quickly grabs it and slips past the doorway, parting ways with Jackson with a final glance, for now.

Sloan grins and folds his arms over his chest as Cristina slips out of the room, clearly already bored with the situation.

"Married life, huh?"

Avery nods with a faint chuckle, "It's great."


	18. The Library of Getting to Know You

**Jackson is a spoilt rich kid sent to boarding school and meets April.**

* * *

><p>"What did you do?"<p>

He shifts his gaze from the quiet girl across the library, leaning back in his chair and eyeing the blonde girl in front of him.

"What?"

She rolls her eyes, "What did you do? People only come here because they robbed a store or accidentally shot someone. It's not your typical high school. So, what did you do?" She explains with a question, and Jackson just grimaces.

He could kill his mother for sending him here, away to some stupid boarding school in Vermont with preppy kids and dorks. Yes, his family is rich and famous so he's classed as preppy. Yes, it's partially his own fault. But that doesn't mean he wants to be around boring eighteen year-olds all day.

"I got caught with two girls in my mom's bed."

The blonde gasps, eyebrows raised and books held to her chest, "Seriously? That's like-" She pauses, glancing around the room, "Kind of hot."

Jackson nods carelessly and clasps his hands together on top of the empty wooden desk.

"So, do you have a girlfriend?"

He's not even sure why he's in the library, and he's kind of regretting his decision now that there's some blonde bimbo clearly hitting on him.

"I'm not interested. Sorry."

He glances back over at the girl sat alone in the corner of the room, a book in her lap and hair tumbling down her shoulders.

"Who is she?"

She looks back over at the girl and frowns with a faint laugh, "Her? She's like virgin-central. You can't possibly want to get to know her."

Jackson stands up, shrugging the blonde off as he approaches the other girl.

She perks her head up when she feels him beside her and she gulps.

"Can I help you?"

He smiles at winning grin of his and sits down across from her at the table. "Hi. I'm Jackson."

"Oh." Is all she says before returning to her book and he frowns. What the hell? He's not interested in her book or even that she's apparently some tight-knitted closed-legs good-girl. He felt a pull to her, a weird attraction that he couldn't walk away from, though he tried to.

"And you are?" He tries again and she licks her lips as she closes her book and places it down in her lap.

"Look, I don't know who you are or why you're talking to me, but if this is some sort of prank then please don't."

"I was just introducing myself."

"And I was just saying." She informs him.

"Are you- Are you reading the Bible?" He asks, noticing the thickness of her book.

She stares at him blankly, "Don't mock me."

"I wasn't. I was just- That's nice, that's good that you have, you know- Beliefs." He sighs, almost in defeat. Clearly she isn't one for talking. "Can I have your name?"

"Why would you want my name?"

"So I can get to know you."

She frowns, "Why would a guy like you want to get to know me?"

Jackson grins and leans across the desk, "What kind of guy am I?"

She swallows a breath and casts her gaze back down to the cover of her book, "You know what I mean."

"I'm not sure what kind of guy I am, but I think I have you all figured out."

She lifts a brow curiously and softly blushes when he smirks, his eyes enchanting hers, "What kind of girl am I?"

"You're a bookworm. You get nervous with male company, which I can already tell given how flustered you get every time I open my mouth. It helps if you don't look me directly in the eyes, or at my smile, or my chest, but we're not there yet." He continues, "See? You're blushing again, and I'm guessing you don't think I'm being sincere, but I am. Maybe you've never had anybody look at you like I am right now, but you should. Believe me, guys should be looking at you. See, I could have easily followed that blonde over there into the school's bathroom but I don't want to. I wanted to talk to you, and meet you, and get to know you. You seem interesting, and I- I like your hair."

"You like my hair?"

"It's nice. The colour, it suits you." He points out, "The red goes well with your skin. Pale skin, not many people look good but you do. And yes, I'm complementing you right now." He smiles again and she chews on her lower lip, trying to hold back a smile herself, "I'm gonna pretend that I don't wanna touch your hair though, or feel your skin, or be any closer to you, because I'm pretty sure that'll make you even more nervous so I'm just gonna sit here and watch you. Because you seem interesting, and I want to know you, and talk to you, and I-"

"April." She cuts him short, standing up, and holding her sacred book to her chest, "My name- It's April."

Jackson grins and holds out his hand and she softly clasps her fingers around his palm. He tries to ignore the spark that runs up his arm when she touches his flesh, "Nice to meet you, April."


	19. The Game

**April and Jackson role playing where they don't know each other.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Can I buy you a drink?"<p>

She turns to face the man behind her, a small smile on her lips, "I'm sorry, I'm waiting for someone."

He shrugs and sits down beside her, sliding his hands across the bar-top, "So am I."

April shakes her head softly in disbelief, "You're just gonna sit there?"

"Until you let me buy you a drink." The man informs her

She nods slowly and turns back around to face the bar, hand grasping her already-poured drink gently and crossing her legs. She doesn't fail to notice his eyes on her legs, his gaze travelling up her thighs to the edge of her short tight dress. The redhead bites her lip and grins, almost bashfully, "Are you going to keep staring at me?"

"Can I buy you a drink yet?"

"No."

He smirks and holds his hands up, quickly ordering himself a scotch, "I'm not going to force you into having a drink with me. I just- Look, you're an attractive woman." He points, familiar eyes tracing her skin again, "I'm not gonna deny that I find you extremely beautiful and I'm not gonna pretend I can't picture you naked and wrapped around me." He smirks when she blushes that colour he adores.

April turns to him, licks her lips and raises a brow, "I've never seen you here before." She brings up then, eyeing him carefully.

He grins again, "I'm only in town for a couple of days. On business."

She nods and faintly smiles so he continues.

"And what is it that you do?"

"You'd love to know that, wouldn't you?" She downs the rest of her shot and stands up, grabbing her purse. She leans down to his face, watching as his gaze never falls from her lap, "Do you wanna get out of here?" She clasps her hands in front of her black dress and he licks his lips.

He stands up then, following her lead, "I thought you were meeting someone." He adds, voice low and husky, and she smirks.

April tilts her head to the side, "He's already here."

"Oh, yeah?"

She nods and Jackson smirks again, grabbing his wife's hand as they go to leave, their little game paying off, "And I'm leaving with him, too."


	20. The Doctor Playing Doctor

**April and Jackson role-playing, and sexy times ensue.**

* * *

><p>"Did you steal those from the hospital?"<p>

April shrugs with a slight frown, pulling the gloves over her small fingers. She licks her lips and adjusts her dress, "Alright, Sir. Could you tell me where it hurts?" She holds a serious gaze and he smirks, lay across their bed casually.

"Everywhere."

She raises a brow and approaches him, stopping by the side of the bed and resting a hand to his forehead, "Oh, you're red hot. Have you been feeling okay?"

He shakes his head and stares at her blankly, watching as she sits on the side of the bed and places her gloved hand to his neck. "Not really. I've been like this for a couple of days." Jackson tells her, squinting his eyes and whispering, "Can you make it better?"

The redhead bites her tongue, shifting on the bed to rest her hands against his jean-clad thighs. She settles on her knees between his legs, and swats his hand away when he touches her waist, "Sir!" She scolds with a glare, "Where does it hurt the most?" She asks politely, moving so her white_ nurse_'s dress (bought special for their first anniversary from a lingerie store) slides up her thighs and she licks her lips.

"Here." He holds a finger to his neck and tilts his head back.

"There?" She kisses the side of his neck, tongue lashing at his skin and covered hands cupping his face.

"Yeah, and here." April follows his trail down to his chest and she tugs on the bottom of his t-shirt, pulling it over his head hurriedly. She pushes him back against the bed and straddles his waist,

"Right here?" She dabs her index finger to his chest and presses her lips to the flesh of his muscled chest when he nods. She slowly makes her down, sloppily kissing and nibbling at his stomach, "What about here?" She kisses the area of skin above his jeans, hands clasping at the sides of his belt and eyes darting up at him through long lashes.

Jackson smirks, leaning back as she works his pants open "Definitely."

April bites her lip as she pulls away from him to unbutton his jeans and pull the zipper down, "Anywhere else?" Her face and voice are so serious and he's honestly sure that he's never been more turned on.

"Everywhere."

"You're gonna have to be more specific." She warns him, applying pressure to his groin as she lifts herself up. She grasps the sides of his face and lets him pull down the zip along the front of her outfit, stopping just below her breasts.

He sits up and pulls her waist toward to him, "You should wear this at work."

"I think that might cause a few problems." She informs him, suddenly pushing him back roughly and cupping his face again as she smothers his mouth. She never knew she had it in her, and she's honestly never been more turned on than by their little charade. "You need to lie down." April mumbles against his mouth, biting down on his bottom lip as she mounts his lap. He holds onto her hips tightly as she tortuously grinds against him, forehead pressed to his steadily and she closes her eyes.

"What's your diagnosis?"

She kisses him then, breathing against his lips, "A very bad case of sexy."

Jackson softly grins and pulls her closer, fingers sliding the zip lower down her chest, "Treatment?"

His eyes have that dark and dangerous thing going on again and she takes a sharp breath, hands growing weak and tempted to give up, "Whatever you like."

His hands are back on her then, flipping her over so she lies beneath him, legs pulled up at his sides and arms flung around his neck.

"I think I'm all better now."


	21. The Innocent Stripper

**April works as a stripper(because she needs money for her studies) and Jackson is at his friend's bachelor party.**

* * *

><p>He doesn't know if it's the hair, the incredibly tiny shorts (and the legs beneath them) or the way her bra is pushing her breasts up, but he's fascinated by her.<p>

She doesn't have the usual, general look of a strip club employee. Pale skin, red hair, innocent vibe about her. She looks sort of lost, like she's not entirely sure why she was there, on that stage, shaking what God gave her and what Daddy told her not to use to her advantage.

There are a few older guys watching her every move and he can see, feel, the discomfort on her face, clearly uneasy with their eyes on her ass.

He's not a pervert, far from it, he's just a regular twenty-five year old with a steady job and a best friend who wanted his bachelor party to be held at a strip club to celebrate his limited freedom. He'd agreed (of course), and organized the thing. What guy wouldn't?

He might not be a pervert by any means, but he's not immune to the female form. To the way she flicks her hair about, grabbing the pole like her life depended on it, and moves her ass up and down to the music.

When her half-naked blonde friend (he assumes they're friendly because she was giggling with her earlier) comes toward the bachelor and straddles his lap, he shakes his head with a grin when his friend cheers, holding his beer up proudly.

And then she, the flaming redhead with the unsure expression, throws her head back, a hand letting go of that shiny pole and she locks her gaze with his, caramel eyes meeting his green ones. She stands back up straight and takes a deep breath with a lick of the lips as she steps down from the small box. Hands by her sides, she slowly (it's not actually that slow, it just feels like it) makes her way over to his table, stopping in front of him and producing a faint smile.

"Hi." He speaks, voice low and eyes glued to hers. He ignores his friend's brother tapping him on the back with a whistle.

The young woman chews on her bottom lip with a small smile and holds her hand out (ignoring her slight shakes).

"Woo! Avery!" His bachelor friend, Alex, calls proudly when he stands up and takes her hand as she leads him away.

Jackson rolls his eyes at the guy and curses himself when he can't focus on anything besides her ass in those incredibly tiny shorts. She leads him away into a secluded room, pulls the curtains shut behind them and pushes him down onto a padded chair.

Her hands grasp his shoulders and she leans down to him, "Feel me up."

"What?" He's confused to say the least.

"Look, I get paid by my boss every time I do this, and this is my first time, but you seem alright and I just- I need you to feel me up." She tells him quietly, breath close to his as she climbs onto his lap, hands clawing at his shirt.

Jackson throws his head back, eyes closed as he runs his hands up her naked back, "How do you know I'm decent?"

"I don't, but I'd rather take a risk with you than let one of those creepy guys out there touch me." She informs him, moving his hands to rest on her ass.

"Isn't that your job, though?"

She backs away from him slightly and pushes her red hair behind her ears. She sighs, "You think I'd choose to do this? Please, I went to Sunday School. My parents would kill me if they knew I was here."

"I don't think your Sunday School teacher would enjoy this either." He jokes and she smiles.

"Well, as long as I'm not having sex or doing drugs-"

"You don't have sex?"

"Are you propositioning me?" She grabs his hands again and places them on her breasts.

Jackson grunts, "Jesus, you're killing me." He's now assuming she's a virgin, which is actually a little confusing given her job of the moment, and the thought is making this, him, even harder. "This is your first day?"

"Nope, but this is my first private dance, and you're not exactly making it good."

"Can I kiss you?" He voices almost silently, determined to make it better, eyes following hers until she bites her lip and slowly nods. Her hands grasp the sides of his face then and she softly moans when he presses his lips to hers, hands cupping her ass.

The redhead takes his right hand and places it over her breast again, moving it herself to start him off. He groans when she unclasps her bra and drops it, moving his hands to her chest again. He closes his eyes and sighs.

"Seriously?"

She softly giggles (though she tries not to), "Don't make me hit you." She mumbles, pressing her head to the crook of his neck and slipping her hands up the front of his shirt, cursing herself when she feels his toned chest beneath her fingertips.

"How the hell are you a virgin?"

She takes a deep breath and pulls his face toward her chest, throwing her head back and faking a moan (though she's not entirely faking it), "I'm pretending I don't feel anything."

"And how's that working for you?"

"Not very well." She grasps his shoulders, rests her forehead to his and slowly grinds in his lap, feeling him pressed against her leg.

His hands are still caressing her breasts and she bites her lip, holding back a gentle cry, "Can you feel that?"

"Uhum." She grinds her teeth for a second before roughly pressing her mouth against his.

Jackson pulls away, running a hand through her hair when she rests her smaller hands on his belt and glances down at his arousal, "Quit."

"What?" She squeaks.

"Just- Quit. Please?" He manages, cupping her face softly but shifting his hips upwards, "Come be with me."

"I don't know you." She points out, frowning with slight daydream. She could. She knows she could easily leave (after only a couple days of service) and go be with him, and have sex with him, and have a family with him. She knows that after only fifteen minutes of being near him.

"But you can. I know you don't wanna be here, I mean, Christ, you're basically forcing me to feel you up. Even though, yes, I'm enjoying it. Probably a little more than I should since you're a virgin and all, but we can work on that." He adds with a quick shake of the head, keeping his voice low. "I don't know you, but I want to, and I wanna leave here and know that you're alright."

Her forehead creases, "You don't know anything about me." She tells him, "I could be lying about all of this."

"Are you?"

"No."

"Then leave with me." He seems determined to get her to follow him, to be with him, but he's a little confused by his own spontaneity.

"I need this job."

"I can find you another one. Hell, I'm rich, you won't need one."

"You want to _Pretty Woman_ me?"

"Just the ending, not the whole film."

"You really are decent, aren't you?" She smiles with a faint blush and licks her lips, cupping his face between her hands, "I don't know about this. It's a little crazy."

Jackson grins, hands moving to her ass again to continue their charade, "I thought you said you wanted to take a risk with me?"

"OK."

"Yeah?"

"Yes." She smiles against his lips, kissing him quickly, "Just feel me up first."

Realisation dawns on him and he smirks, "Can I have your name?"

"April."

"That's my favourite month."

She drops herself down onto his lap against, applying a tortuous pressure to his erection, "Don't make me hit you."


	22. The Delicious Phone Call

**Jackson is away on a business trip, so they get creative on the phone.**

* * *

><p>"How's the conference?"<p>

He shrugs and shuts the binder he was holding, tossing it down on top of his suitcase carelessly. "Fine." He sighs with a slight frown.

April nods on her end, "I miss you." She voices quietly.

Jackson smiles, "I miss you, too."

She steps into the bathroom, their bathroom, and turns on the taps to run herself a bath. She's had a long day, she deserves it, after all.

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?" He asks and she giggles.

"I might be."

"Are you trying to kill me?"

He groans down the phone and she smirks, tying her hair up into a loose bun and unbuttoning her shirt. Her brain suddenly switches and she bites her lip, tempted yet resisting. It couldn't hurt, right? Besides, who would know aside from them?

She hums down the line, pulling the phone away slightly to push her jeans down her legs.

"April?"

She hides a laugh and her eyes brighten, "Yes?" She asks innocently. She knows exactly what she's doing right now, to him.

Jackson closes his eyes on his end and lets the image of his wife drift to his thoughts, "What are you doing?"

She can hear the desperation in his voice and she purposely lets out a gentle moan as she turns the taps back off and steps into her relaxing bath, letting the warm bubbles touch her naked skin. "What are _you_ doing?"

"That depends what you're doing." She laughs softly and leans her head back against the edge of the bath, placing her phone on the side of the tub and turning the speaker on. "April."

"I miss you." She reminds him, hands skimming down her legs.

"How much?" His deep voice breaks her insides and she smirks.

"Very, very much."

"Same here." He tries to resist it, tries to fight the want to slip a hand down his boxers and close his eyes to the sweet images of her doing _things_. "What are you doing?" He repeats the question and she pauses.

"Thinking of you?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh." She informs him, nodding her head though he fails to see and she runs a soapy hand up her stomach to her breasts, "Imagining you."

Jackson holds back his own moan and frowns in torture, "What am I doing?"

She nods again, tongue tracing her lips and hands cupping her own flesh, "Touching me."

"_Jesus_. I wish I was." His voice husks with a devilish smirk when he gives in, hand unzipping his jeans and letting his eyes close as if on command.

"I do, too." She begins, "I wish you were here. With me, in our bathtub. Touching me, kissing me. I need you here. I need you now."

"Keep going."

She slips a hand down between her legs, bringing her knees up and closing her eyes with a deep sigh at his request. "I need you. I want you to feel me right now. I want you," She stops suddenly, unsurely and with a long breath, "inside me."

"Yeah." He swallows a breath and groans, hand sweating at the thought, "Imagine it." He hears no reply and figures out what she's doing, "April- Do it for me."

"I already am." She mumbles, words whispered and breathing shaky as she pictures him replacing her hands, "_Jackson_."

"Keep going."


	23. The Hitchhiker

**April needs a ride; hitchhicker prompt.**

* * *

><p>When she saw a little girl, her mother had always told to never talk to strangers. Never stop and chat, always smile and walk by. If you didn't know them, they couldn't harm you.<p>

Her mother had definitely never told her to walk down a quiet road alone in the dark, in the hope that someone decent would drive by and help her out.

Her hands grasp her dress and she picks it up as she continues on down the uneven path. Her feet are sore and she's tempted to kick off her heels and just give up. Sit down on the curb and wait for someone, something, to come along and sweep her (literally) off her feet.

What the hell was she thinking? What could have possessed her to ditch her fiancé at the altar and make a run for it? She'd left everything back at the Church; purse, phone, a good change of clothes. The only items on her were an overpriced wedding dress, muddy white heels, flimsy white lingerie and a garter wrapped too-tightly around her thigh. She was the vision of a murderer's fantasy right now.

"I give up!" She throws her arms down, dropping to the concrete ground and hicking her dress around her legs as she sits down on the side of the path. She rests her hands in her lap and rests her elbows against her knees, lips pouting and eyes tired.

Maybe she should have just married him. Maybe he wouldn't have been so bad. Her family had flown out the way out from Ohio to Seattle for the occasion, and she'd gone and done a runner on the guests. Granted it's not as if anybody had come looking for her, so maybe they weren't that concerned. Or maybe they just thought she'd turn back around, change her mind, and settle for her groom. Could she though? Could she give up and decide to spend eternity with a seemingly nice yet boring paramedic who doesn't challenge her or offer her anything special?

"Do you need a hand?"

Her head perks up then, brows raised and mouth dry as she stares ahead at the man in front of her, his car lights flashing in the near distance. She folds her arms closer to her chest protectively and nervously sighs when he steps closer.

The man holds his hands up as though he was being careful and he softly smiles, "I just- You look like you could use a hand. D'you need a ride somewhere?"

April licks her lips and pauses, unsure of what she should do. Maybe this was a bad idea after all.

"Uh..."

"I take it that you're supposed to be somewhere else right now?" He asks, noticing her untidy gown and the small veil hanging from her head. She quickly pulls it away from her hair and drops her shoulders.

The redhead lifts her gaze, fondling the soft lace material of her dress, "I was." She tells the stranger, "But I changed my mind."

He just nods, stuffing his hands into his jeans' pockets.

She takes a second to watch him, now that he's closer to her and she can read his features. Mother of- Even down the darkly lit road, she can tell his eyes are a bright captivating sea foam colour, his complexion a beautiful mix of caramel and mocha, and then he smiles and her heart stops for a brief second.

"So... did you need a ride or?"

"I, uh- I need to get away from here." She can't go back there. She can't go back and face her family, her friends, her abandoned groom. What the hell would happen? What would they say?

She can't face them.

"I'm heading down to Nevada if you-"

"Yes!"

She doesn't know him, by name or anything of the sort, but she's trusting him. She has to. What other choice does she have? Go back to her pending nuptials or wait for some creepy trucker to pick her up? No, she'd rather hitch a ride with the handsome stranger who's offering her an escape, a wait out.

"Just- You're not gonna attack me or anything, are you?"

He raises a brow and a small laugh escape his lips, "No. I won't, I promise." He agrees, holding a hand out for her.

April tentatively takes his hand and stands up, cursing the heavy dress hanging around her waist. "I'm April."

"Jackson."

He smiles again and she mildly blushes, tucking her fallen hair behind her ear and biting her lip as she follows his lead to his car. "Nice to meet you, April." He opens the passenger side door for her and she slips in, legs bouncing and anxious as she waits for him to join her.

She's a grown woman, she can make her own choices. She can run away with some guy she doesn't know (that she just met) and she can trust him. She feels like she can. He seems nice, and he's being quite sweet. And he's attractive, and she doesn't think that he'd need to force himself on anybody, so she's sure that he won't hurt her, wouldn't take advantage of her innocent state. And since she'd run away from her wedding, she was still in a _very_ innocent state, in every which way possible. So, maybe that's why she thinks this is a bad idea, the good kind of bad (of course).

Jackson (she kind of likes his name) slips into the driver's seat and starts the ignition, taking a quick second, "You're sure you wanna leave?"

She nods eagerly, swallowing a breath as she stares at him, cursing herself when her eyes drift to his lips. "Yes." She throws her shoulders back and kicks her heels off on the floor of his car. It's gonna be a long drive, she knows. "Drive the car."

He grins, hand clasping the wheel within his grasp as he avoids her gaze, unwilling to let his eyes drop to her red lips.

This is going to be hard.


	24. The First Day

**Jackson and April meet during their first day as interns at Mercy West.**

* * *

><p>"Alright," Their resident begins, flicking through her papers and casting her eyes down to the list in her hands, "Adamson, Avery, Chang, Kepner, Percy, you're all with me."<p>

The designated interns quickly make sure they have everything, pens pocketed and lab coats tidy before their resident out the door.

They start their path down the hospital corridor, and the tall guy (built like a lumberjack) at the back begins to talk, "I guess we're all gonna be spending a lot of time together."

The short-haired brunette beside him rolls her eyes, "Shut up, Charlie." They've known each other since med school; it's nothing new for them to banter. She steps forward, standing between the two guys walking in front of her, "Hi, I'm Reed Adamson."

One of them, seemingly of Asian heritage smiles and holds out a hand for her to shake as they walk, "Oliver Chang." He greets and she smiles before turning to the other guy.

"Jackson." He introduces, purposefully avoiding the use of his last name. He really doesn't want to become the center of the hospital's attention on his first day.

The brunette smirks and shakes his head quickly, leaning past to tap the petite young woman in front of them all on the shoulder.

She briskly spins around, a mild look of annoyance on her face and she brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, "Yes?"

"I'm Reed, and you are?"

The slightly taller woman smiles, "I- April. April Kepner." She shakes her hand and licks her lips, "We actually met last night. At- At the mixer?" She reminds her.

Reed frowns and pauses, and the tall man beside her grins,

"Yeah. I remember you." He speaks, holding a hand out. April bites her lip, bashfully taking his grip. She might not be interested in him, per se, but she's not immune to his face or those eyes. "Ohio, right?"

She nods and hurriedly averts his gaze, turning back around. How did he remember that? Surely there had been more interesting people at the mixer to socialize with and whose life stories to memorize? She slips a little red notebook out of her pocket and flicks it open before she grabs a pen from her lab coat and scribbles something down, clearly taking notes from their resident.

"You're not gonna ask me my name?"

"I already know it." She replies back at his question, ignoring the way he peaks over her shoulder to glance down at her book. She quickly shuts it, turning to look at him briefly as they all turn a corner down the hall, "Jack-man."

He chuckles for a second, and holds back a smirk when their resident sends them a nasty look, "Nice to meet you, too, April Kepner."


	25. The Fornication

**Resident/Attending fornication. But with eye-sex first, of course.**

* * *

><p>"I heard they put him in charge of the entire hospital."<p>

"Really?" She flips her red hair behind her ear, tucking a strand away as she glances toward the plastics fellow.

The blonde beside her nods and licks her lips with a breath, shaking her head in disbelief, "His mom bought him the place. Now he's the big boss. Crazy, right?"

April Kepner, third-year resident with a knack for the plastics specialty silently agrees, stuffing her dainty hands in her lab coat pockets. She chews on her bottom lip and eyes her attending carefully, "I feel bad for him."

The other resident frowns, "Why? Look at him, I doubt he needs anybody feeling sorry for him. He's an Avery." She reasons, nudging the slightly smaller surgeon.

"Still. He doesn't deserve this. I mean, he's only in his first year of fellowship and he's not responsible for the Board? That's gotta suck."

She can't seem to peel her eyes away from the handsome man down the hall, sat behind a desk in an office, and her breath catches in her throat when he meets her gaze.

"Have you got a thing for your boss?"

"Wha- No." She shakes her head, unable to shake the eye contact between herself and her mentor. "He's just nice, is all." And incredible. And amazing. And great. And hot, with the eyes of a fucking viper.

The blonde grins before picking up her chart from the nurse's desk and raising a brow, "Maybe you should offer up your services. He looks like he could use a good break." She suggests before walking away but April fails to flinch, bringing a hand to her lips when he finally breaks their gaze, bringing his eyes back down to his dozens of files.

* * *

><p>"Okay, you're gonna need to stitch up his hand."<p>

She nods slowly, breathing shaky and lungs suddenly out of air, "Yeah."

Her mentor comes to a pause, stopping his exit of the patient's room. He softly smiles and flicks his pretty eyes back up at her, "You remember how to do a suture, right?"

"Of course. I learnt that in med school." She tries, picking up the needle and carefully taking a hold of the unconscious man's hand. Her legs slightly shake from where she's sat when he comes closer, stopping behind her. This isn't going to work for her. She can't concentrate like this.

Jackson Avery leans over her shoulder, breath against her neck and a hand grasping her wrist lightly, "Are you sure about that? Because you're doing it wrong."

"Well, then, you do it!" She exclaims and he raises a brow in shock. April quickly drops her shoulders with a sigh, "Sorry." She mumbles, avoiding his tense gaze.

"It's fine, just-" He moves then, holding both of her wrists and twisting them gently into place, "Like this." Her hand are doing the work but he's controlling her every move, and she's more than happy to let him. "You got it?"

She can't nod, head pressed so closely to his chest that she can't find it in herself to budge. "Yep." She licks her lips and darts her eyes to his hands, fingertips still wrapped around her own though she's now doing the work all by herself.

The tension is too much, his proximity overbearing and she can hardly breath, too distracted by his intoxicating smell and the powerful force he holds above her. He's got that freaking snake-eyed look again and she's almost melting into a puddle at his feet.

"Good work."

"That was all you. You have very talented hands." She voices almost quietly, clearly unaware of her choice of words for a second. "Uh, I mean- You know, because you're-"

He holds back a smirk and lets go of her wrists, not quite yet backing away from her body. He's enjoying the smell of her hair and kind of liking her nervous stance. How twisted does that make him? "Thank you. And-" He blinks a couple of times and licks his lips, "Good work." He repeats at a loss of words.

She simply nods, diverting her gaze when he finally steps away and heads to leave the room, leaving her alone with her unconscious fifty-year old patient.

"Great."

* * *

><p>"Can I get fired for this?"<p>

Hands holding the backs of her knees and body pressed close to hers, he shakes his head with a grin, "Nah, I'll make sure of it."

She quietly squeals when he kisses down her throat, his slight scruff tickling her skin. She presses her thighs tighter around his waist, resting her hands against the back of his neck and holding him closer to her. She can't help but giggle, cheeks turning crimson when he masterly unties her scrub pants, lips never leaving her flesh.

"Shh." He chuckles, moving a cup her face with one hand and kiss her tenderly, the fingertips of his free hand roaming down her body to rest on the low of her back.

They've been at this for month, but her formerly inexperienced self is still a little shaken by the whole thing. Fooling around in on-call rooms and supply closets, inviting him around to her place when her roommate is on shift. It's new, but yet it feels like they've been doing it for years.

She still feels the need to ask him if they're okay, if they're not risking their careers by doing this. He always reassures her that he's her boss, everyone's boss, and he can do whatever and whoever he likes. And he likes her, quite a lot.

"April-" Jackson voices, holding her tight and stopping his actions, "Stop moving." She was squirming like a teenager, hands shaky and face red. He's used to it, because he knows her. He's known her for years even, only now he know her on a very personal level. An intimate _I know exactly everything about your body_ level.

The redhead bites her lips and traces her hands down his toned chest, "Yes, boss."


	26. The Morning After

**Jackson convinces April to stay the night even if he has to sleep on the couch to get her to agree. And then he wakes up to her throwing up in the bathroom. Follow-up to 10x21.**

* * *

><p>"Are we- are we happy about this?" She asks, her fingers tapping together and chewing down on her lip.<p>

Jackson swallows a breath, taking a quick glance around their apartment, "I- Just- Yeah. Yeah, we are. Right?"

She shrugs, looking up at him with hope, eyes wide and lip torn. "I think so." She sounds unsure so he steps closer, resting a hand on her waist.

"April, this is good news. Okay? It's just bad timing, is all." He faintly smiles, "But when have we ever had good timing…"

She almost agrees, but instead ducks her head and backs away from him, "I'm gonna- I'm gonna head back to Arizona's for the night, so you can-"

"No." He frowns, "No, just stay. Please? Look I haven't slept right in two days because I've been worried about you and now I'm even more worried so just… stay, please. Come on, this is your home, too. And I'll just sleep on the couch, okay? I don't mind." He's determined to get her to stay, to not leave their home for another night. He's concerned and he wants her near him, her and their unborn child.

The redhead sighs then, slowly giving in and placing her iPod back down on the kitchen counter. "You don't have to sleep in the living room, Jackson."

"No, but I will. Because you probably want your space right now and I'm not gonna crowd you."

He misses her, her close proximity and kissing her. He misses his wife, and he's willing to spend a night or a week out on their sofa if it means she'll stay at home.

"OK."

* * *

><p>He wakes up to the sound of vomiting from the bathroom, and he quickly jumps up from the couch when he realises that it's his wife who's bent over their toilet.<p>

"Hey, are you okay?" He crouches down beside her, pressing a hand to the low of her back and running a hand through her hair.

April softly shivers, arms leaning against the toilet seat, "I'm fine."

Jackson eyes her. She looks tired, drained even, and he sighs. "You should get some rest."

She shakes her head and sits down against the bathroom floor, ignoring the comfortable chills from his bare chest pushed against her back soothingly, "I'll be alright, I just- I have to get ready for work."

"No, you're not going to work like this. Come on, just get back in bed, okay? I'll make you breakfast and then we'll see how you feel." He suggests and she goes to protest until he wraps an arm around her waist and lifts her up with ease.

She can't stay mad at him for too long when he does things like this. Acts like a perfect husband and caters to her every need. "Jackson, I'm fine." She repeats when he heads into their bedroom and deposits her down on the mattress, a small grin on his face.

"Look, I know you love running the ER, but right now you're gonna lie down and sleep. As your boss, I'm giving you the day off." She almost laughs, almost hits him in slight rage for the joke, "As your husband, I'm gonna take care of you and we're gonna forget about our argument for a little while, okay? And as the father of your child, I'm gonna force you into eating my crappy pancakes because my kid needs to start eating those already or he'll never get used to them."

He teases and she faintly smiles, letting him pull the covers up to her chest and she shifts comfortably, "Yeah, your pancakes are pretty bad."

"I'm gonna make even more now and you're gonna eat them all."

She almost laughs, almost pretends that she's not still a little mad at him, a little frightened about this whole thing.


	27. The Professor

**AU: April seduces Jackson (her professor) for a better grade.**

* * *

><p>"Are you serious?"<p>

Her brunette friend, Lexie, nods, eyes wicked and blowing on her painted nails, "Yeah, Mer said that she hooked up with Professor Shepherd when he flunked her out of psychology."

"What, and nobody knew about it?!" The redhead is stunned, astounded almost, and she licks her lips, "How did that even happen though?"

Lexie grins, twirling the lid of her polish bottle back on, "Uh, it's really easy. You just go after who's failing you and work those dimples." She taps a hand to April's face, "Believe me, it's all just a matter of bending over and wearing short skirts."

April pauses, tongue tracing her lips as her friend continues,

"You should try it-"

"Lex, you know I'm-"

The brunette holds up her hands, "I'm not saying you've gotta put out for the guy, just fool around with him. That's what I did with Sloan."

"You and Professor Sloan?!"

"Yeah." She states proudly, "Now, if you're failing English, then I recommend you go find that handsome teacher of ours and - what did I say?"

April takes a deep breath, holding for air as she stands and grabs her books, "Work the dimples."

—

"Can I come in?" Her hand is still pressed to the door from knocking and she holds back a nervous tremble when he nods.

Stepping foot inside his office, she makes sure to close the door behind her and walks closer to the older man's desk. Okay, he's only like five years older and she's fairly sure that it's not legal for someone so attractive to be educating young women.

"What can I do for you?"

What can I do for you, she wonders to herself, trying to keep her eyes on his face and not drift to his chest or lips. Maybe she shouldn't have shut the door. It's not like there was anybody else around-

"Miss Kepner?"

April's breath quickens, hands folding in her lap after placing her books on the corner of his desk. Wooden, large, great. She's trying to ignore those few dozen fantasies she's had about him taking her on it.

"I wanted to come and see you about my grade. Um, on that last essay?"

He frowns, leaning back in his chair, and removing those studious glasses from his face. Mother of- did he have to?

Her professor, last name Avery, first name Jackson, sighs and raises a brow at her nervous stance. "Look, it's just that-"

He's still new, still getting adjusted to being a teacher for young women, so she'll give him a little pause.

"You failed because you were clearly distracted. Your essay didn't make much sense so there wasn't much there for me to evaluate." He explains, hands gesturing about and she's unwillingly reminded of those fantasies. Him, her, desk and ruler.

"I wasn't distracted." Hell, what was the worse that could happen? She creases her forehead tenderly and chews on her lip, making sure her perky dimple are his sole focus, "I wasn't. I promise you, and I- I'd like to take the exam again."

"That wouldn't exactly be fair to the other students now, would it?"

April falters, eyes wide open and shaky hands suddenly going numb, "Well, what can I do to change your mind?"

Professor Avery, though she prefers to think of him as Jackson, clears his throat and glances away from her for a second, obviously catching the way she's staring at his lips.

She takes a step backward, sitting down on the table across from his desk, littered with old novels books and manuscripts. He tries to ignore the way she rests her hands in her lap, the way her short skirt rides up her naked thighs when she spreads her legs slightly and softly bites down on her lip, hazel eyes focused on his.

"Is there nothing I can do? Because, you see, I really need this grade. I can't fail my year, Professor, because then my daddy wouldn't be happy with me."

Yeah, she feels kind of wrong bringing her adoring father into this mess,

"I mean, would you like your children to fail a class? I don't even know if you have kids, do you? Are you a daddy?"

Lexie would be so proud right now.

"I, uh-" His throat is dry and she leans forward then, hands on her knees and fingertips tracing her own flesh. "No, I don't. I'm not."

April hides her nerves when he stands up. She invitingly licks her lips, reminding herself of those many fantasies and dreams. Maybe.

"Do you wanna be?" Guys love that whole authority-thing, right? They like feeling in power, like they're in charge of everything? "Mine, I mean."

He, she's referring to him as Jackson now since he's within such close proximity that she can practically feel his mouth, stops in front of her. His eyes, green like peppermint, and his small smile that reminds her of Christmas are enchanting her, and she lets her tongue dart out to dry her lips. His gaze follows her and she suddenly feels extremely heated, anxious almost.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do to change your mind?" She repeats finally, voice raspy and eyes glancing down to focus on his lips. "Nothing at all?"

She grabs one of his hands, cursing herself when she drops it to her leg, feeling his fingertips tracing the skin of her thigh. He copies the move with the other hand, and she softly gasps when he grasps her hips, pulling her body toward him.

"Maybe I can think of something." He's not rude, and she doesn't feel pressured or threatened. Only turned on, eyes flickering over to his desk.

Him, her, desk and ruler.

Maybe.


	28. The Best

**April is insecure because she's only ever been with Jackson but he reassures her that she's the best he's ever had**.

* * *

><p>Do you ever feel like you're settling?<p>

He frown out of confusion, raising a brow as he continues to stare down at his file. She hates when he does work in bed, but he's in charge now and she has to handle that.

"Settling for what?"

April sighs, fingers twitching in her lap as she fondles her wedding ring.

"For me. For a life with me."

Jackson lifts his head then, "Are you being serious?"

She groans in frustration, "Yes, I am! I'm actually asking you that. I mean- Don't- Don't you think that you could have done better than me?"

His workload is quickly thrown onto the ground beside their bed and he sighs, turning to grasp her hands, his own fingers toying with the giant rock on her finger.

"April," he starts, eyes searching his wife's so he knows she's listening. "I could never settle for you, you're already the one I want." He tells her and she closes her eyes with a breath.

"Yeah, but- Look, you were with plenty of women before me. I mean, I don't know how many and I-"

"Do you wanna know? I can tell you. There probably weren't as many as you're thinking there were."

The redhead rolls her eyes, "No, I don't want to know, I just- Don't you sometimes feel like you could still be single, and messing around with other women. Because, I mean, they're better than me. I know that. They're more experienced, and I'm like the least experienced person you've probably ever been with. Don't you feel like you could have done better than me?" She's not pitying herself, she's honestly just curious.

Jackson just stares at her, "No."

He shuffles closer, pulling her into his lap lovingly,

"Look, I married you. I chose you. I love you. Nobody else, alright? Just you. Always, and I've never felt like that before. Just for you. So, no. I don't want anybody else, and no, I don't miss other women. I love you." He cups her face, fingers brushing her hair from her face.

April softly smiles, hands snaking around his neck, eyes focusing on his eyes as she shifts to straddle his waist, "You're sure about that? You're not gonna run if things get hard and I start to piss you off and you wanna kill me?"

He's not sure if she's joking or not, so he just cradles her face and leans up to peck her lips, "April. I'm never gonna run. Unless it's after you because you ran away first and I can't live without you."

She smiles brightly then, biting her lip and her fingers stroking the base of his skull, "Yeah?"

"Yeah. And you know what? You are, by far, the best I have ever been with."

April rolls her eyes, "I really doubt that."

He smirks and moves his hands down to her waist, "No, it's true. You are. Because I am proud of you. Because I love you. Because I am so freaking glad that I am the only man you've ever been with."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I love that I am the only one to touch you, kiss you," He leans down to her neck, placing his lips against her carotid, "I love that I am the only one to ever be this close to you, be inside of you."

Her face flushes and she licks her lips, hands moving to cup his face, hold him against her chest as he kisses lower,

"I don't want someone who's already been touched, been had. I want someone like you, who still blushes when I say things like 'inside' or who gets so easily turned on. I want you, because I am proud that you are mine. And I am yours. Always. And I love you, so… no, I did not settle for you. I want you, for the rest of my life, whether you believe me or not."

April giggles, pressing her forehead to his and grasping the edge of his t-shirt, "I believe you."

He smirks, "I'm glad. Now, can I please make love to my wife?"


	29. The Desk

**Continuation of Chapter 27.**

* * *

><p>Bone meets wood. Wood meets wall. It's all the result of a human body banging into a desk, slamming against old bricks and screeching along the stone floor.<p>

"We should stop."

"Do you wanna stop?" His voice is raspy, uneven almost and she has to swallow a breath when she glances up and catches his gaze. He smiles, green eyes like a viper flickering from her disheveled hair to her bruised but soft lips. "Because I don't."

April quietly groans, hands finding the collar of his shirt and pulling him closer, making sure her legs are wrapped so tightly around his waist that he can't move, can't leave. "Me neither."

Jackson, she calls him since they're now on a very personal first-name basis, grins, hands sliding up her sides and cupping the sides of her neck, "Do you have any idea how crazy you make me?"

She holds back a giggle, slipping a hand down his chest, well-built for an English professor, she tells herself (that is, until she sees those eyes and forgets he's even academic in the first place, and wonders why he didn't sooner become a model).

Her fingertips naughtily grip the waistband of his pants, pulling the belt towards her own lap and running her hand over the evident swell. "I think I have a pretty good idea."

"Oh, really?" He teases, rougher hands grabbing the backs of her knees and pulling her to stand up. She stumbles against him, steadying herself with a gentle hand to his chest.

She's not the least bit (although, she is) nervous around him anymore. And she's quite glad that she'd had the balls to do what she did in the first place. What if some other girl, looking to score a better grade had gone in there with a bigger personality or a better body? Granted, it wasn't a sure thing the guy would be interested, given how risky this entire situation is.

But what if he was it for her? Him, her incredibly handsome and doable teacher with the writing talents of a poet and the patience of a Saint. And then her, the kind-of quiet sometimes-annoying redhead with a perky personality and a tendency to overreact? What a pair they would make.

Him, her, desk and ruler.

Maybe became reality.

"Turn around."

Her eyes widen, briefly glancing back over to his door. Shut. She thanks her stars for having the reflex of locking it upon arrival. "Yes."

Hands pressing to that old table, no longer littered with books since they'd fallen to the ground, she leans forward when he steps so close to her that she can barely breathe.

She's breathing him in. The smell, the cologne, the wonderful odour of perfect coffee and peppermint gum.

Maybe he should step away, back away and turn around before things get too complicated, too twisted.

They've been at this for weeks though. This, playing around and making time and hiding in offices and libraries.

"What are you-" It's not good for her self-control, for her promise to God when she can feel him so close, when she can sense the way his hands melt into her flesh and his eyes dig into the back of her skull as he presses himself to her, lap to behind and tight pants against loose skirt. It's a dangerous combination.

"We should stop." Her breathing is uneven, fingernails clutching at the old wood, finding her back arching into shape when he slips his arm around her front and lowers a hand, flesh meeting cotton and pulling material to the side. She gasps then, all sharp breaths and swollen lips.

Jackson, though she does still enjoy calling him Mr Avery for the sake of being 'naughty', rests his other palm to her waist, dropping his lips to hers when she curves her neck to kiss him, to meet him, to see him.

"Are you sure about that?" He whispers.

They're ignoring the creaks in the hallway next door and the loud bang of heavy papers meeting the floor. They're ignoring all rationality, all logic. They're ignoring the University's strict policies, ban on certain kinds of relationships.

"No. Keep going, Sir."

They're ignoring all the wrongs. Because something that feels this good can't be bad, right?


	30. The Stranger

**AU: April is about to commit suicide, but Jackson (a complete stranger) saves her.**

* * *

><p>"Miss, I think you need to get down from there..."<p>

She caught his eye back when he was still down on the ground below, casually minding his own business when he'd looked up and spotted fiery red hair swaying in the wind and a petite body pacing the edge.

"Why should I?" She mumbles quietly, voice shaking as she continues to pace the thin line of bricks. She's so high up, so close to the sky that she knows the impact of hitting the ground below wouldn't hurt, wouldn't damage her. She wouldn't even feel it.

"Look, I don't know why you're doing this, but- That's not safe. Can you step down, please?" He has to remind himself that he's just a lawyer, and nothing similar to an officer or a firefighter. He's not a hero. He only fixes problems. He, Jackson Avery of Avery and Associates squints at the young woman, watching her every move.

The redhead swallows a breath, throwing her head back. "It doesn't matter, you know? I could just... slip. I could just fall, just drop, and nobody would care." She shakes her head to herself.

The young woman, April Kepner, country-girl at heart, is tempted to do it. To let it all go and give up.

"No one would- They don't care about me!"

He's not sure whether she's escaped from a mental institution or if she's just having an incredibly emotional day, but he knows that she needs help. He's sure of that much.

"I'm sure that's not true..." He offers, taking an uneasy step closer to her. Maybe he should have stayed down on the street and called someone who could handle this, who would be able to control the situation. He knows he wouldn't be able to take it if she jumped, if she dropped and it was his responsibility.

"Stop moving!" She shouts over at him, eyes wide and she finally meets his gaze.

He softens then, raising his brows and holding his hands up as a sigh if backing off, "Okay. Alright. Just- What's your name?"

"What?"

"What's your name?"

She pauses, shoulders shrugging and lips dry, "April."

Jackson smiles, "Okay then. April, I'm gonna need you to think really hard about what you're doing."

"I know what I'm doing!" She shouts again, and he almost leaps toward her when she swings her arms about, and he's afraid she'll lose balance. "I did this! I know that!" Her chest pants and she bites her lip, "They don't care. They won't care."

"Who? Who, April?" Maybe if he says her name often enough she'll listen to him, try to understand what he tells her.

"Everyone. My- My parents. That guy! God, they want me to marry him and have babies and settle down and cook him dinner and I can't! I can't! I won't do it."

His face softens, head tilting and bright eyes blinking, "Nobody can make you do anything you don't want to do." He informs her, "April, I can help you. Okay? That's kind of my job. If you're having problems, I can help. But in order for me to do that, I'm gonna need you to get down from there." He approaches again, small steps and uneven breaths.

She doesn't notice, doesn't flinch when he reaches her. His hands remain to himself and she just shrugs, staring blankly at his face.

"Why would you help me? You don't even know me. Nobody helps anyone without wanting something." She can't do that. She can't him anything in exchange for his services, for his aid. She can't do any of this, any of what her parents are planning for her. "And I don't have anything to give."

He nods slowly, a hand reaching out for her arm, "That's alright. I don't want anything. I don't- I just need you to come down from there, okay? Can you come down?"

April chews on her lip again, almost dropping her body weight when she stars up at him, teary-eyed and skin covered in goosebumps, "You- You'll help me?"

"That's the only thing I want." He's not lying, not pretending to care just so she'll come down and live and he can abandon her without a second thought.

She takes a deep breath, and her hand places into his tentatively, his fingers impulsively wrapping around her waist.

"Okay?"

She nods, pushing strands of red hair behind her ear with her free hand. "Okay."

She steps down from the ledge then, legs giving way but he holds her up, arms around her waist into his chest.

"Thank you."

He's not a hero. He only fixes problems.


	31. The Wounded Soldier

**AU: Jackson is a soldier and April is a trauma surgeon that treats him when he gets shot.**

* * *

><p>"We need more bandages over there!" April Kepner points out, waving a hand to the row of beds beside her.<p>

The man across the tent, red haired also and built with broader shoulders, nods at the young woman in a hurry.

"Okay, your wound is quite deep but for now I'm gonna cover it up because otherwise you could bleed out. Alright?"

The man lay on the bed slowly nods, eyes still closed and a small smile on his face, "Yeah." He manages to voice from the pain. "Is it- Am I-"

April frowns, hands applying pressure to his thigh again, "No. No, you're gonna be fine. I'll make sure of it."

His eyes flicker open then, slowly but surely, and her breath hitches at his intense gaze.

She's never seen, in her thirty-two years of life, someone with such a green colour in their eyes, such a captivating stare.

"Yeah?" She softly smiles in return, leaning over to pick up more gauze.

"Are you feeling okay?"

He nods again, "Yeah, I'm just really wishing this was under different circumstances."

"You being shot?" She raises a brow, confused to say the least.

"Meeting you." She blushes then, tucking her hair behind her ear and chewing on her lip as he continues, "I mean, come on, this isn't exactly the greatest way to ask you out."

She's not shy, she's just usually not used to extremely handsome men hitting on her as she fixes up their sores.

"Well then, how would you ask me?"

"I guess we would have met somewhere else, so I'd probably just come over to you and start talking."

"That's pretty upfront of you."

He grins, squinting as he feels a sting from her work, "Yeah, well, I don't like wasting time. I like getting right into things." He tells her, fingers tapping against the side of the bed, "So, yeah, I'd approach you, and you would be blown away by my eyes. Everyone is."

"I'm pretty blown away right now."

"See. Even in this condition, I can still draw you in."

"Draw me in?"

He smirks, noticing how she tries not to let her fingers drift across his aching arm for a second longer than she needs to, "And I would compliment you. Tell you how beautiful you are, how your smile is the first thing I saw when I came in here."

"Really?"

He smiles, eyes darting back and forth between her own and her rosy coloured lips, "Yes. And I would. If we weren't here right now, and if we had met somewhere else and you weren't trying to save my life, then yes. I would have asked you out."

"And I would have said yes?" She blushes again, catching sight of his name on the lining of his jacket. Avery, Jackson. She licks her lips and watches him, watches the way he stares up at her as though he's in some sort of daze.

"And you would have said yes." Jackson confirms. She likes his name now, and he's no longer just a handsome face.

She pulls off her bloody gloves after she's bandaged his leg up sufficiently enough until they can get him to a hospital. "Maybe you can ask me out when we get home, soldier." She smiles almost timidly, taking a short step backward to deal with another victim.

"If I do, will you say yes?"

April shrugs then with a light grin, "Maybe."


	32. The Unorthodox Healing Method

**AU: April in a psychiatric hospital and Jackson is her doctor.**

* * *

><p>"Do you know why you're here?"<p>

The redhead shrugs in response, slouching back in her seat and her fingers curling around the lollipop stick in her mouth.

The doctor watches her, soft frown and green eyes alight, "Can you tell me why you're here?"

The patient, a twenty-eight year old woman of God and above named April Kepner, looks up at the man, "You do."

"Yes, but I need you to tell me. Can you remind me why you were brought here?"

She stiffens, tongue twisting around the stick and eyes glancing around the room, "I saw my sister messing around with our pastor and I bashed her head in."

"And can you tell me why you did that?"

Her face blanks, eyes flickering back to his and darting to his chest. She licks her lips and slips the candy from between her teeth. "Because she shouldn't have been doing that."

"What was she doing?" He pries, crossing his legs in that manly way where the knee meets the ankle, she notices.

He places his pad down, closing his pen off and he reaches down to pick up a small cup of water. He offers her the drink and she quickly grabs the beverage from his larger hand, her eyes lingering on the empty wedding finger.

"You're not married."

"I'm sorry?"

"You aren't married. That's surprising for someone of your age and attractiveness. I'm a follower of Christ, but that doesn't mean I'm immune to the male form."

The doctor, last name Avery, first name Jackson (though she refers to him as the 'Clearly Handsome City Boy with a Trust Fund and Daddy Issues')' clears his throat and sends her a simple smile, all lip and no teeth.

She much prefers it when he smiles that wild one, that one he sent her when she first arrived, when he was reassuring her.

"I'm not married."

"I know."

Jackson nods slowly, eyes blinking rapidly but never leaving her face.

"You asked me a question."

"Can you tell me why you did it?" He repeats and she pushes the candy back between her teeth, biting down on the small white stick while she stares at him intently.

"Why I picked up the lamp or why I hit her with it?"

He knows she's not crazy, not someone who would mass-murder a group of scientists. She was damaged, challenged.

"Everything."

She shrugs, "She shouldn't have been doing that."

"What was she doing?" Is it wrong to want to hear her say it, or is that just his job?

April softly shakes her head, red hair falling around her shoulders as she moves, "She was back there- she was- touching him. It wasn't right."

"Why wasn't it right?"

"Because," she begins, left hand waving around frantically. "We made a promise. A vow. We- we made a promise. She's not supposed to be touching anybody." Her eyes close and he wonders if she's recalling the event.

"Were you jealous?"

"Of Father Nathaniel?"

"Of your sister." He corrects.

She pauses then, fingers wrapping around the stick and twirling it in motion, "I- No. How could I be?"

Jackson shifts closer, knees a few inches away from hers and within breathing distance.

Maybe this is slightly unorthodox. Maybe it isn't. "Because maybe you actually crave the same thing."

"What thing?"

"Intimacy."

"That's not- No. I don't think-"

"I can understand you, I can. I can understand your vow, your promise, but I can also see that you might actually be wanting to break that."

There's a brief silence, where she chews on the stick between her lips and watches his face, noticing the way his eyes flicker to her dry mouth and up to her gaze.

"It's not wrong to want to be close to somebody, April. And your sister, I think that she understood that. Maybe you're just different than she is, and that's okay. That's alright. But it's not wrong."

"I didn't kill her." Her psychosis hadn't lead her that far. She still had a conscious, one that wanted to remain guilt-free.

"I know."

She nods and takes a deep breath, strange shivers crawling up her skin when his slightly darker toned flesh reaches for her hand. "Maybe."

"Maybe, what?" He asks, green eyes staring into her hazel ones and avoiding the lick of his lip.

This is slightly unorthodox. And it isn't.

"Maybe I do want to be close to someone."

"That's not a bad thing."

He's not married. This would not constitute adultery, would it? Though it could wreck his life and destroy him, and her.

She doesn't move, doesn't budge when he brings himself closer. Instead, her eyes shut and she takes a deep breath, hands wrapping around the stick and the arm of her chair.

"April, take the candy out of your mouth."


	33. The Hero Complex

**AU: April is a patient during the shooting and Jackson is her doctor.**

* * *

><p>"Okay, your stitches should be healing quite nicely and you should be out of here by the end of the day." The doctor, a world-class plastic surgeon called Jackson Avery, speaks to his patient, "A nurse will come and help you later on and then you just come and find me to sign your release form, alright?"<p>

The redhead lay in the bed nods with a gentle smile as she sits up, "Thank you for everything."

Jackson goes to leave after her returns her smile and heads for the door until a sudden noise pulls him from his path and he pauses. Dead in his tracks, he frowns as he glances out the small door window, breath turning silent as he witnesses the scene before him.

"Doctor Avery?"

He turns back around then, eyes aflutter and running a hand over his face.

"What's happening?"

She's still damaged, leg still kind of battered and in no way capable of running.

"I don't want you to worry."

She, thirty-year old florist April Kepner, frightens, eyes scared and mouth agape. "What's happening?" She repeats, moving herself into an upright position on her bed.

He walks around the room quickly. He's trained for this. They were prepared for this (though he he doubts anybody ever thought it'd actually happen).

"I don't want you to panic, okay?" He voices in a low voice, and under possibly different circumstances, she may actually find him even more attractive. "Just lie down, and- Fake sleep, okay?"

April squints, leaning back to rest against the pillows and lie down. She frowns when he pulls the covers back over her body, and tucks her beneath the sheet. "What are you going to do?"

She's not an idiot. She knows a gunshot when she hears one. She was raised on a farm for Christ's sake.

She's scared for herself but for him, too. He's a good guy, he deserves to stay safe.

"I don't- Uhh, I- Just pretend to be asleep. Now." He glances back out the window, holding his breath when he sees the same man approaching their room slowly, though his gaze is on something else and Jackson thanks his stars.

April closes her eyes, tucking a hand beneath her pillow and taking a deep breath when as he tells her. She's frightened, scared for herself and for him. She silently prays, wishing to the moon and back that she makes it, that they make it. Aren't hospitals supposed to be safe place?

What if something happens? What if she doesn't make it? She hasn't done anything yet. She hasn't lived, hasn't experienced anything. She's never been loved, been touched, been longed for.

Jackson licks his lips in thought before finally acting. He shrugs his lab coat from his body, quickly removing his badge and shoving the jacket into the closet in the corner of the room.

Luckily, and he'll never be grateful enough, he had a meeting in the morning so he wasn't wearing his scrubs. He was wearing a shirt and tie, black pants and shoes. This could work, right? This could pass. Save them?

"Don't sue me for this, okay?" He whispers, moving onto the bed beside her, placing his head on the pillow next to hers, so close that she can feel his breath against the back of her neck.

April holds her breath when he moves an arm across her waist, shuffling closer to her behind and pulling her against him.

This is strange, but she knows what he's doing. Nobody comes guns-blazing into a hospital looking to shoot patients.

"Fake sleep." He mumbles into her hair, ignoring the sweet strawberry smell since it's not the right time, and she feels a shiver run down her spine when his hand tenderly grasps her arm laying beneath the cushion and he pushes the badge beneath the pillow.

The door creaks open and they can hear moving, hear a person walking back and forth across the room.

"Oh."

He sounds groggy, edgy, and April almost chokes a sob when he runs a hand over her forehead. She breathes heavily, snuggling closer into her doctor's resting body.

She can't die. She hasn't done anything yet.

Suddenly, the stranger's hand is removed from her face and they hear the door slam, both of them unable to move.

Time passes, about fifteen minutes (he'd guess) before he opens his eyes, glancing around the room quietly. Jackson slowly sits himself up, resting a hand on her waist reassuringly.

"It's okay." He whispers, hand stroking her back and waking her from a false slumber.

April turns over, laying on her back and staring up at him, "Is he gone?" Her voice is low, clearly shaken up and frightened and as a doctor he wants to heal her wounds, but as a human being, he can understand her pain.

"You're fine. We're fine." His hand moves from her back, skin itching when he no longer feels her flesh beneath his fingertips, "You're fine."

She sighs a deep breath, unable to control herself when she shifts closer to him, eyes closing and breathing in his smell. He saved her, kept her safe, so it's not entirely strange to find him suddenly even more attractive than he already was.

"Thank you."


	34. The Painful Truth

**AU: Jackson is a falsely accused prisoner and April is his social worker. **

* * *

><p>"Did you talk to my lawyer?"<p>

The woman across the table nods, chewing her lip and closing her folder, "I did."

The man sighs, "And?"

It's always the same game. She comes to see him every week, always on a Wednesday, and she bares the same news. Nothing has changed: his lawyer still sucks, she tries to work somethings out, but in the end he's still the one hanging out in a cell to rot.

"And he wouldn't tell me anything." His social worker, April Kepner, informs him. She licks her lips and sighs, watching him across the table.

She tries to help him, every week and almost every day, tries to save him from this. He didn't do it, he didn't kill a family and empty the bodies of all of their organs.

"Great." The victim, prisoner of four months, Jackson avery, frowns. He glances down at the metal table between them, his hands and the metal around his wrists tapping against the edge.

April crosses her legs beneath the table, reaching a hand out to his, fingertips pressing against his knuckles.

"I am trying everything I can. Okay? We can- wet can get you a different lawyer, someone better- You deserve better."

He nods slowly and sadly, running his free hand, the one not held down by her own, over his shaven head and face, eyes blinking rapidly as he stares at the ground.

"What if I don't?"

She pauses, gaze flickering down to his hand, "Don't say that."

"Look, I appreciate everything you're doing for me, April. I do, and I am so grateful, and it kills me that I'll never be able to return the favour. But what's the point in fighting this? I'm not- You know I didn't do this, don't you?"

She slowly, free hand running through her hair and she bites down on her bottom lip.

"Of course I do."

"And you also know that they're never gonna change their mind about me. They have ho one else, and I'm the only suspect and I- I hate that I can't defend myself. But maybe I - we - should just give up."

April shakes her head then, staring over at Jackson with a sad grimace, "No. No, don't say that. We can still-"

"April, I appreciate everything you've done for me. And I- I love you. But I think this might be better for you."

She can't handle this, can't handle him talking like he was going to die, to be sentenced, tomorrow. It wouldn't be tomorrow, but most likely within the next few weeks.

She can't handle this, can't handle being in love with someone who isn't being given a second chance by human kind.

"How could that be better for me?"

Jackson softly smiles, fingertips tracing over the palm of her hand this time, "Look, you can... you can move on. Alright? You can meet someone else, and get married and have kids and I- I can't do all of that with you. I want to, but that's never gonna happen so, you're gonna need to let me go."

Her breathing hitches and she feels her eyes water, the palm of her hand tightening around his, "I'm not walking away. You don't get to tell me how to live. I want you. And I will fight for you. I love you." She cries, staring into his eyes, once green with joy, "I love you and I can't lose you."

"You deserve more than spending your days trying to get me out of here. You deserve everything and I want you to have all of that."

April swallows a breath, "But I want you."


	35. The Unearthly Roommate

**AU: One of them as a ghost.**

* * *

><p>"You don't live here."<p>

"I did."

He frowns, "When?"

The young woman, read-haired and hazel-eyed, pauses, "Before you did apparently."

Apparitions. Phantoms. Ghosts. Spirits. The words have never made much sense to him, a strong believer in what you can see and touch.

"Wait... What year do you think it is?"

"It's 1999, right?"

Looking her up and down, Jackson notices her choice of clothing. Jeans with a floral blouse could easily pass for this century but the hair-clips and sneakers on her feet prove otherwise.

"It's 2014." He informs the girl (or is she woman?), a sorrowful smile on his face.

The redhead gasps, hands clasping in her lap as she drops down to sit on his couch. Her bottom meets the cushion and she sighs.

"How could this happen?"

"I'm a doctor, not a scientist, alright? I have no idea. Look, maybe you're just re ally old-fashioned and confused. Are you sure you don't live down the street or something?"

She, twenty-four year old of six years April Kepner, scowls, "I know this is my apartment. See that chip in the door over there? That's from when I got burgled. And that odd window in the bedroom? That's where my sister threw a chair outside when I wouldn't let her have a guy sleep over."

"I take it you don't- didn't have many guys over here?"

April frowns again, eyeing him carefully.

He was good looking, she'd admit that much. But he wasn't really her type, not that she'd ever had a type in the first place.

"And what makes you say that?"

"Well, you're, you know- Neurotic and kind of noisy-"

"You don't even know me!"

Jackson rolls his eyes, "You barge through my front door and claim that this is your place! Then you attack me and-"

"I didn't barge through the door."

"Alright, fine, you shoved your little way in-"

April stops looking at him, eyes instead focusing on the television screen, "No! I- I didn't barge through anything. I didn't even knock, I-"

"You what?"

"I just... came in."

Apparitions. Phantoms. Ghosts. Spirits. The words have never made much sense to him, a strong believer in what you can see and touch.

But maybe this time he's just a little bit weary.


	36. The Fence

**AU: Jackson is a troubled teen sent to work on a farm that April's family owns and she supervises him working.**

* * *

><p>"It's supposed to be yellow."<p>

The young man groans with a roll of the eyes, paintbrush turning in his hand as he faces the girl.

"What now?"

"The fence, it's supposed to be yellow. Also, you're supposed to fix it first before you start painting." The redhead points out, folding her arms over her shirt-covered chest, "Did they not teach you anything in Boston?"

He, nineteen-year old Jackson Avery raises a brow with a soft smirk as he watches the girl. Clearly, she's not the popular kind.

"My interests lie elsewhere." He grins, stepping closer to her. "Fixing fences wasn't exactly my specialty. You know what it was?"

The girl, eighteen-year old April Kepner (farmer's daughter and preacher's favourite) diverts her gaze, a faint blushing working its way up to her rosy cheeks. Why did she agree to help with this?

"No, and I don't want to." She has no interest in his advances, not that he'd ever hit on her in the first place.

To Jackson, there's something about her that draws him in. He's not sure if it's the whole-innocent good-girl vibe she sends out, or the pigtails and farm clothes and the fantastic want to have his way with her in the barn, or the way her voice gets all high-pitched and itchy when she gets angry.

"D'you want me to fix the fence?"

April nods, noticing the way his green eyes blink rapidly, his gaze focused on her mouth.

"Yes. Please."

He agrees then, dropping his brush to the floor and eyeing her carefully as he slips his t-shirt over his head.

What the hell was he doing?

"You don't have to-"

He smirks again, taking another step toward her and pinning her against the side of the barn, "Don't worry. I won't tell your father you looked."

"Good. Because I didn't." She denies with a nervous breath.

"Oh, you did. And so did I. Just don't tell your dad because he'll have my head on a pitchfork."

She almost laughs at his joke, hands falling to her sides and letting him slip away from her.

Yeah, OK. She looked. But he looked too.


	37. The Scandal

**AU: Scandal-like. Jackson is the President and April is his communications director.**

* * *

><p>It's silence.<p>

The room is quiet. The windows are closed. The doors are shut. The only sounds being their uneven breaths and footsteps.

"Stop."

He blinks, hands by his sides and he shrugs, "I haven't done anything."

She sighs, closing her eyes and taking a step backwards, "No, just- Stop. Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

April takes a deep breath, reaching behind her and gripping the edge of his desk with her fingertips.

"You know what."

Jackson stops closer, in that all-too familiar way that makes her nervous. In a good way, in an excruciatingly slow and painful way.

"Remind me."

Within a minute, he's closer to her. Hands pressed to her waist and green eyes watching her own hazel ones.

"Stop."

"Do you want me to stop?" He inquires, brow raised and hands sliding from her hips to her neck.

The redhead pauses, licking her lips and eyeing his own, her hands subconsciously falling to the back pockets of his pants.

"No."

He smirks then and she almost hits him, almost wipes that smug look off of his face. She hates it, hates him, hates how he makes her love him. She hates to love him. This isn't good. This isn't healthy.

"No?"

"Stop looking at me like that."

And they're back to this.

"Like what?"

"Like you want to consume me!" She tells, voice raising ana dyes ablaze, "Like you want to breathe me in. Like you want to suck all the air out of my lungs. I feel smothered by you. You smother me. You kill me. You're killing me. You're taking my air, and my oxygen, my breath. You're taking my breath and you're leaving me with scars. You're consuming me, and I can't keep letting you!"

"April-"

"You're taking my oxygen and I can't breathe. You are taking everything from me and I let you. I let you, because I am yours. Alright? You own me. You have me. I'm yours. You have already consumed me, but please just stop taking my air. You're killing me."

His thumbs trace the edge of her chin and he licks his lips.

Her fingers crawl up his chest, resting against his jawline, "Stop."

"I can't."


	38. The Tease

**Jackson with handcuffs and April teasing him.**

* * *

><p>"Don't pretend you don't like this."<p>

He laughs, comfortably shifting beneath her. "I love it."

Her smaller hands are wrapped around his, fingers toying with the metal around his wrists.

April grins, leaning back and letting go of his hands, "All done."

Her husband smirks, moving his outstretched legs to bring her closer. "Well, what are you gonna do now?"

"Oh, I'm gonna have my way with you." She teases.

Jackson chuckles, eyes closing when she places her palms to his abdomen and grinds into his lap.

"I am so freaking happy I married you."

The redhead smiles, "Really?" Her voice perks up as she leans down to his face, gentle lips pressing against his jaw. "How happy?" Her hands move down to his groin, and she slowly, tortuously drags down the zipper.

"Extremely happy."

"I can see that." April licks her lips, flicking her hair behind her ear and moving down to kiss along his bare chest. "I can feel that. I can feel you."

"Please don't talk like that when I can't touch you." Jackson whines.

She smirks again, "Like what?" She innocently replies, tongue slipping past her teeth to graze his skin, "I am so hot right now."

"Yes, you are."

"You make me so hot. I'm all sweaty just thinking about it, about you-" He can sense the faint smile behind her words, "You make me so freaking horny."

She's four months pregnant, of course she's horny.

"April, seriously-"

Her hands leave him, flying to her own chest and cupping her breasts. "Oh God, I just want-"

"April-" He warns her, eyes darting back and forth between her eyes and lips and breasts, silently hating the white bra covering them.

He shifts then, wrists straining as he goes to sit up until she pushes him back down abruptly, hands returning to her chest.

"I need you. I really need you. Right now, in me."

"Oh my god, stop talking." He sighs, eyes shutting as he falls back onto the mattress, "Undo these now."

April wickedly grins, feigning ignorance, "Don't you wish you could touch me right now?"

Pregnant April Kepner is a lot more confident, it seems.

"Unlock me. Now."

Yes. The view of his wife, the woman carrying his child, groping herself and talking naughtily is definitely a turn-on.

She moves against him again, hands moving to her back and biting down on her lip with a soft smirk.

"April, I swear to God."

"Do not use the Lord's name in vain."

"You're feeling yourself up and I can't do anything about it, so yes, I'm gonna say whatever I want. I swear to God, if you do not let me out of these right now, I will never let you leave this bedroom."

"Is that really a punishment?" She lets go of her bra clasp and reaches down to retrieve the small key to free his hands from the cuffs.

"It can be."


	39. The Cake Girl

**AU: Jackson is in the Marines and comes home on leave to Boston after his latest deployment. April is working in a bakery and going to school. He has two days left on his leave, before he has to head back to a base in California. They start talking and exchange numbers, and eventually fall in love.**

* * *

><p>"You should really think about doing some peppermint-chocolate stuff."<p>

The redhead looks up from behind the counter at the voice, brow raised and eyes wide, "I'm sorry?"

The man on the other side, bright-eyed and darker skinned, smiles, all teeth and raised cheekbone. "I said, you should think about-"

"No. I- I heard you, I just- I don't make the cakes. I just work here. I mean, I'd love to, but I just do the selling and packaging." April smiles politely, trying not to let her gaze linger on his eyes.

He nods, "Ah, okay. Then you should really tell your boss to make some."

"I will pass along your message." She laughs when he leans over with the whisper, "Can I get you anything? Besides the request of peppermint-chocolate?"

He pauses for an instant, eyes flicking over the dozen desserts hidden away in the glass, "Vanilla."

"That's simple."

He shrugs and she tries to not take notice of his obvious muscles when he rests his elbows on the counter.

"It's for my mom. It's her birthday tomorrow, and apparently I'm on cake duty."

April smiles, carefully bending down to the selection. "That's sweet. Are you new around here? I haven't seen you before."

She grew up here, farm grown and adored by all, she knows everyone and every face.

She'd remember a face like his.

"I'm actually only in town for a couple of days. I have to head back down to California for training on Monday."

She nods slowly, licking her lips and turning to retrieve an empty box. "You're in the military?"

"Marines."

"That explains it." The build, the muscle, the strong gaze.

"What explains what?"

April silences, spinning back around with the now-filled box in between her hands, "The- uh, nothing." She shrugs her shoulders and faintly smiles, "Okay, is that all?"

"Yeah."

She quickly adds up his amount and he pays for the cake, eyes focused on her hands cradling the large pastel pink box.

"Do you work here every day?"

"Only on the weekends. And Wednesdays. I'm just working here part-time."

"College?"

"Pre-med."

He nods then, licking his lips when she pulls a receipt for him. "You should really tell your boss about my idea."

"Peppermint-chocolate. I can actually make that one myself." She giggles.

He grabs two of the store cards from the counter beside the till. He slips one in his pocket, and picks up the pen from the side to write on the other one.

"How about you give me a call when it's made? I'd love to be the first one to try it." He grins.

Did he just- No. It wasn't like that. He wants a cake, not her. He couldn't. Nobody ever does.

"OK." She breathes, accepting the card from his hand when he passes it over, dropping the pen back down. "Jackson." She speaks his name with a smile, a soft blush covering her cheeks when she catches his intense gaze.

"I'll see you soon, Doctor."

* * *

><p>"I thought you were coming back this week?"<p>

"I was, but there was a change of plans and I've gotta hang back an extra two weeks. But how about, when I come back up there, we can spend a whole two weeks doing nothing? I think you deserve it with all of that studying you do."

April laughs on the other end of the phone, "I'm almost finished with school, of course I need to study. Not all of us can make a living out of our strength."

Jackson rolls his eyes on his end, "Oh, please. You could easily make a living from those cakes you make."

"Yeah, because you'd buy them all."

"And we'd eat them together."

"That we would." She agrees with a soft giggle, "You wouldn't even need a fork with the way you scoff them down."

"Well, you could just feed me."

They'd formed a great, deep friendship over the past few months. They were close, maybe even best friends, though most of their conversations were held over the phone and via Skype.

And she'd be lying if she said she hadn't developed a weakness, a soft spot, for the marine. It wasn't a crush, she convinced herself on a daily basis. It wasn't.

"Are you making inappropriate suggestions again?"

"I don't hear you denying it." Jackson retorts back, "Are you having inappropriate thoughts, Doctor?"

"You wish." No, she does. She wishes, and she does. She has inappropriate thoughts. Mainly about him and those cakes. Damn the sweetest of peppermint-chocolate. "Though I might, depending on the cake."

"Strawberries and cream." He tries to ignore the picture of her hair, the fruit subconsciously reminding him of its soft glow. He misses it, misses her. But he thinks there may be a little more to it than that. A lot more to it than that. He finds it almost crazy that he can only hear her voice and want her presence, need her energy.

It wasn't a crush, he tells himself. It wasn't. Was it?

"Now that sounds dirty."

"Have you been picturing me covered in cream and fruit?"

"Have you?"

"Been picturing myself? Yes, but I definitely wasn't alone."

"Well, whoever was with you must've been a very lucky girl."

"She is. And strawberries and cream is her favourite."

She chews on her lip down her end, "Oh, really?"

"Yeah." His voice is lower now, deeper, huskier, quieter like he only wants her to hear. "But she makes a mean peppermint-chocolate cake."

It wasn't a crush. It was more.


	40. The Child Matchmaker

**AU: April is Jackson's son's pre-school teacher. Flirting ensues.**

* * *

><p>"Look, kiddo, you gotta eat your sandwiches, okay?"<p>

The four-year old rolls his eyes and puckers his lips, "Why?"

"Because ham and jam are good for you."

"You put ham and jam on the same sandwich?"

Jackson, the toddler's father lifts his head with raised brows at the voice, "No." He smiles at the woman, standing up to her level, though his slightly taller frame overshadows her own. "He just- He has to eat two different kinds at lunch, it's weird but he's always done it."

The young woman nods then, crouching down to reach the boy's height, "Tyler, are you gonna eat your sandwiches today?"

"No."

"Please?" She smiles at the boy, hands softly cupping his elbows, "Your daddy thinks it's a good idea, and I happen to agree. Please?" She pouts back and smiles when he sends her a grin, slowly nodding his head.

Tyler gives in, "Okay." He drops his bag onto the ground and quickly rushes past then, joining his friends over by the art table.

"For you, he does." Jackson laughs, scratching the back of his neck in disbelief.

She stands straight again, holding a hand out. "I guess I just have a special charm around kids. I'm April by the way, I'm the new pre-school teacher."

"Right." He politely shakes her hand, "I'm Jackson. I'm guessing you've been working here for a while if he's willing to talk to you. It usually takes him awhile."

"I don't know about that but he's generally very talkative. I haven't seen you before though. I don't mean to pry or anything, but-"

"No. No, it's fine. I, uh- I work over at Grey Sloan Memorial. His grandma usually drops him off because I'm at work but I have the day off, so..."

April nods with a smile, "Right. Okay."

She's not nosy, not curious. She just takes note of a mother's absence and the lack of ring on his finger.

"And his mom is- I'm sorry. You don't have to answer, that was incredibly rude of me. It's none of my business."

"She left. Kind of just- gave birth and packed her bags." He tells her. He hates people pitying him, feeling sorry for him.

"Oh." She licks her lips and folds her arms over her chest, "Well, if it's any constellation, you've done an amazing job of raising him."

She doesn't pity him. She doesn't feel sorry for him. She was taught better than that. And he was strong, it seemed. He didn't look like he needed anybody's sorrows.

"Thank you." He smiles.

"Dada, can Apwil come to my game later?"

Jackson glances down at his sin as he approaches, smaller fingers wrapping around his hand, "What was that, buddy?"

"Can she come? Please?"

"I, uh- I'm sure April has better things to do."

The red haired woman shakes her head, looking down at the boy with a smile, "What kind of game is it?"

"Basebawl."

"Oh, well then, I would happy to. If it's alright with your dad, that is..."

"Please?"

"Of course."

"Cool!" He runs back off, leaving the two adults to grin.

"I think he likes you."

April pushes a strand of hair behind her ear and diverts her gaze from his strong gaze. She hadn't noticed the brightness of his eyes before now and it was making her nervous, though she wasn't entirely sure why that was.

"He's a good kid."

"Well, he has a good teacher."

"You're a pretty great dad, too."

"That's not all I'm great at."

Was he- Nah. Why would he? Surely, an attractive doctor with a child could pick women up wherever he wanted. He wouldn't be hitting on a twenty-seven year old inexperienced woman who hangs around children all day.

"Are you hitting on me?"

"If I was, would you still come to his game?"

April softly blushes under his gaze, letting her eyes dash over his skin and neck, "I'll have to think about that." She retorts, pausing for a quick second and watching a smirk grace his perfectly-shaped lips, "Are you gonna keep hitting on me?"

"Probably."

"Then, I wouldn't miss it for the world."


	41. The Intimate Delivery

**Jackson has to deliver their child.**

* * *

><p>"I just- I can't do it."<p>

"Look, I know this isn't how we wanted to do this, but we're gonna have to, alright? We've got the stuff, and- and the towels, and- everything we need, okay?"

The redhead throws her head back, propped up by her elbows on their living room floor.

Why did their son decide to be born in the middle of winter, during a snowstorm that meant they were secluded to the depths of their apartment. Sure, it was nice and comfortable, and she'd be able to rest in her own bed. But giving birth in front of their couch on an expensive rug that took three hours to choose wasn't exactly how she planned the arrival of their first child.

"Jackson, that's great but- You're supposed to be up here," She wafts a hand near her head and swallows a shaky breath, feeling another push, "not down there."

Her eyes start watering and her husband takes a deep breath, eyes wide and lips dry. Jackson gulps before he talks, "We can do this. Okay? It's gonna be fine. I've done this before."

"Helped your wife give birth to your child?"

"Delivered a baby."

April rolls her eyes before they close, feeling her husband's hands on her thighs. "Jackson."

"Hey, hey." He grasps her chin softly when she cries out, clearly feeling another push ripping through her, "You are gonna be fine. Our baby is gonna be fine. I love you, and I love him, and we're gonna do this. We're both gonna do this."

Pain shoots through her again, and he quickly glances down between her legs.

"Okay, babe. You're gonna need to push."

"This is too weird. I can- Jackson, I don't think-"

"April, push!"

It's a simple pregnancy. No complications, just nice and easy. A couple more pushes, more painful gasps, and it'd be over."

"I love you." She breathes, eyes shut and hair sticking to her forehead.

He brushes it aside swiftly and smiles, "I know. I love you too. Push."

She has a hand digging into the cushions beside her, the one searching for him as she screams, eyes watery and throat going dry. "Oh my god!"

"You know what's funny?" He tries to deviate her pain, see her through the agony with a little light-heartedness.

"What?" She gasps for a breath, right hand finally meeting his as he checks her over.  
>"I'm still the only one who's ever been down here."<p>

He's kind of proud, oddly thankful at that fact. And the small laugh that escapes her lips just makes him grin.

"Only you.

"Only me."

"Jackson?"

"Yeah?" He squeezes her hand, feeling her own palm tighten as she begins to push again.  
>"Just drag it out of me."<p>

"I… I don't think I'll be needing to." His hands are below her waist again, this time aiding their child to live and relieving her pain.

"Is he-"

A sudden cry rips through the almost silence, the small boy's screams making April fall back onto the floor.

Jackson rests a hand to her waist for support, the other grasping their child tightly. "Hey, little guy."

He quickly checks him over. He's well, healthy, and the cord is cut before he gets handed to his mother.

Jackson wipes his bloody hands on our of the many towels laid out beside them, a wide grin erupting on his face when he looks down at the pair, at his family.

April is crying, tired and worn and practically torn, "He's perfect."

"Wow."

"Thank you." She glances up at her husband, smiling and licking her lips, breath still short.

"What are you thanking me for? We both made him."

"You know what for."

He knows, of course he knows. And the image of his wife and his son, his new family, makes him pretty thankful too.

"We did it."

"Well, it's me and you, right?"

"Me, you and the little guy."


	42. The Getaway Encounter

**AU: Jackson and April meet on a cruise/vacation.**

* * *

><p>"Did you come here alone?"<p>

Her head turns at the voice, spotting a man stood close behind her. She leans back with an inviting smile, "I did. What about you?"

The man, slightly taller than her and of darker skin tone grins, taking a seat beside her at the bar. "No. But I'm alone now."

"Well then, where's your date?" April, the woman sat wearing an expensive red dress with beautiful hazel eyes, asks, glancing around the room.

"Probably screwing some guy in a bathroom." He replies. He smiles again, green eyes alight and he rests his hands on the counter.

"Classy."

He, Jackson, the man with great hands and a million-dollar smile, nods, eyes blinking rapidly after he orders himself a drink.

The bartender slides him his order, and he twirls the glass slowly.

"So, how come you're here alone?"

"How come your date is screwing some other guy?" April retorts, a hint of a smart smirk toying on her lips.

Jackson shrugs, "Guess I wasn't enough anymore."

"I find that hard to believe."

He raises a brow then, shifting closer to her on his bar stool, "Care to prove her wrong?"

She giggles, a soft blush rising to her cheeks. What the hell was she doing? She doesn't do this. She doesn't flirt with strangers, no matter how attractive and charming they may be. She doesn't usually do this, but she knows she's enjoying it.

"I'm on my honeymoon."

He frowns, face blanking, "I thought you said you were here alone?"

"I'm on my honeymoon, but my ex-fiancé is somewhere back in Seattle with another woman."

"Oh."

"And you know what?" She leans closer, hands meeting his on the bar, fingers tapping against his knuckles and she pretends she doesn't feel the spark that shoots up her spine at the touch, "I didn't even get to have my wedding night."

He nods, swallowing a deep breath, "That's a shame."

"And I waited my whole life for it." She tells him, focusing on his eyes and she notices the way his gaze flickers between her lips and eyes.

"Your ex-fiancé was an idiot." His voice is lower now, clearly taken by her admission. She'd been waiting for it, for her wedding night. She was- Shit.

"Your date isn't much better."

He lifts a hand to push a fallen strand of her red hair behind her ear, his perfect hand lingering against the side of her neck.

April smiles, taking her purse from the bar and standing up slowly, "I have to go now."  
>"Where are you going?" They're on a cruise in the middle of the Pacific; he doubts there was that much around.<p>

"Back to my room. I'm gonna go enjoy my wedding night with a bottle of wine in the bath." What the hell was she doing? She wasn't sure, but his face and stare and everything about him was doing things to her self-control.

"Alone?"

"Maybe."

Jackson follows her lead to stand and towers over her with a soft grin, "Your ex-fiancé is a fucking idiot." He repeats.

"How much?"

"He shouldn't be screwing another woman while guys like me fantasise about that dress lying on the bedroom floor. It's your wedding night, you should be screaming his name by now."

"Do you have a name?"

"Why? Do you plan on screaming it?"

"That depends. Care to prove your date wrong?"

April reaches for his hand then, his perfect fingers threading through her own as she begins to walk away.


	43. The Unlikely Forever

**AU: Jackson is a country bumpkin and April is a socialite.**

* * *

><p>Flesh meets skin, chests collide. Lips meet tongue, fingers intertwine.<p>

"What happened to you thinking I wasn't good enough?"

The redhead licks her lips, standing straighter against the wall and scratching her nails down his bare shoulder-blades. "I got to know you."

He smirks, leaning down to kiss her again, softly groaning when she bites his bottom lip and he lifts her knees to wrap her legs around his waist.

"And?"

"And, what?"

He pulls away, breath moving past her lips as he asks, "Am I good enough?"

He doesn't actually believe he is. He doesn't thinkt hat anybody of his status, of his level would ever be enough for someone like her.

He wasn't educated, wasn't brought up correctly. He learnt alone, grew up alone. Deadbeat parents and lower-class family weren't exactly selling points for a girl from New York.

April came from the elite side, the well-educated, well-mannered people. She went to Harvard, while he spent his early twenties sleeping around and trying to get his father's crappy business out of debt, to no prevail.

"Does it matter?"

She frowns, pouting softly when he moves away from her, hands resting on his hips with a sigh.

"Jackson-"

"No, just- Tell me." He blinks, taking a deep breath, "I'm not, am I?"

"That's not-"

Does it really matter that much to him? Does it matter if he's a good match for her or not! Shouldn't their feelings be the only thing that was important?

"I'm never- I'm never gonna be, am I?" His forehead creases and he licks his lips, "Just tell me."

"What do you want me to say?" April asks of him, eyes teary and hands collapsing by her sides.

"I want you to tell me the truth."

"What truth? That my father wouldn't approve of you? I don't care about that. That you don't fit in with everyone I know? I don't care." She sighs, eyes closing and stepping closer to him after a moment. "I want you, okay?"

"You want me, or you want me now? Let's face it, April, as soon as you go back to the city, you're gonna forget all about me!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are! And I won't hold that against you. I won't. I understand, or at least I can try to. I'm different than you are, okay? I'm never gonna be like your friends or your family. I can't be like them, and I can't understand them. I can't change who I am, so I won't hold it against you if you wanna forget about this, okay? I get that much. I wouldn't wanna remember me either."

"I do." April glances away from him for a second, stepping before him and resting her hands to his chest, "I do, I want you now. But I also want you forever." She chews on her lip with a faint smile, "I want you, and this, and I don't care what people think. I- I love you. And I know that may be hard for you to believe, or understand, after all you've been through, but it's true. I love you, more than I've ever loved anybody. And it doesn't matter that you're not like everybody else, I don't want them, I want you. Forever."

"April-"

"Look, I didn't come here for this, okay? I came to see some relatives and then get the hell out of here, but you know what happened?"

"Your car got stuck in the mud?" He jokes light-heartedly and she smiles at the memory of how they met.

"No. You. You happened. You got in my head, and I can't get you out of it. And I don't want to."

"You don't wanna forget me?"

"No. I want you now, and I want you forever."


	44. The Animal Inside

**Jackson and April have campfire sex (until a random appears!).**

* * *

><p>"I hate the outdoors, alright?"<p>

She just laughs, throwing their blanket down on the ground. April rolls her eyes, "And yet, you married a country girl."

Jackson sighs, sitting down on the floor, and stretching out his legs.

She wanted to go camping over the weekend since they had some time off, and being the good husband he was, he complied. But only because he was expecting to get a little something out of it, and that something didn't include flies and leaves.

"I married you because I love you."

"Well, I love nature. And since you love me so much, you need to love it, too." She tells him, resting down on her knees beside him.

He grins, grasping her waist to pull her closer.

She backs away to lie down on the ground, hair sprawled out across the blanket. "Look, you managed to make a fire, and build a tent, so why can't you just lie there in silence and appreciate the great outdoors?" She asks of him and he swats a fly away with a scowl.

"Because-" He wipes across his forehead, "Because there are bugs and bears, and I grew up in the city. You know what I like? Buildings. Civilisation."

She laughs, arching her back and bringing her knees up as she turns her head to face him, raising a brow suggestively, "What else do you like?"

Jackson smirks then, suddenly ignorant to the insects as he leans down to his wife, "I like a lot of things." He replies, moving to hover over her body and tracing his hands down her sides.

April giggles when he pulls on the edge of her top and presses his lips to her stomach. "Oh, yeah?"

He nods against her and continues to pepper kisses along her abdomen, "Uh huh. Like this." He kisses her skin again, pushing her top over her breasts and she tugs it over her head casually. He leans back down to her chest, his breath heated against her cleavage. "And these." He continues, pressing sloppy kisses to the tops of her breasts before he travels south, his hands holding her hips from moving.

She giggles when his facial hair tickles her stomach and she cups the back of his neck, face flushed and breathing uneven, "What else?"

He pops open the button of her jeans and pulls down the zip, pressing his mouth to the top of her pink lace panties. "These." He pulls her jeans down her legs and she kicks them off with her shoes, feeling her body erupt in goosebumps since she's only covered by a simple pair of underwear and a barely-there bra. "But you know what?"

April bites her lip and peeks down at him, propping herself up on her elbows. "What?"

He glances up at her through long lashes, his green eyes wicked as he smirks. He hooks his thumbs down the lace and quickly pulls them down to her knees, and she lies back down with a gentle moan when he kisses above her center, large hands holding her thighs into place. "I like this much better." She shuffles the panties down her calves and raises her legs, and he grasps her ankles to keep her from moving as he shifts.

"Jackson-"

"Yeah?"

She swallows a breath and closes her eyes, "Can you do something? _Please_?" She begs, back arching again and lips quivering when she feels his breath against her.

"Huh?" He's teasing her on purpose and she would definitely hit him if she could find the energy. How is she supposed to move when he's got her down like this, so sweet and yet cruel at the same time?

Her eyes flutter open when he finally touches her, and she gasps. Half out of pleasure, half out of shock. Her breath stops and she squeaks, chest panting as she reaches down for her husband, "Jackson?"

He grins and pulls himself away, barely, to glance up at her briefly, "You want more?"

"Yes, but-" She sweats, hand flailing about and she sighs, "There's a- There's a bear behind you."

Jackson pauses then, lifting himself up slowly and glancing around in slught fear, "What did I tell you?"

She nods slowly and throws her head back. "I know. I'm sorry." It just had to happen now, right? When she was finally getting her fantasy of having campfire sex with her husband? Stupid bears. "Do you think you can-" She gestures a hand down to her lap.

He shakes his head, instead pressing his chin into her abdomen comfortably, "Yeah, that's not happening while that thing's there."

"It hasn't moved, Jackson, I'm sure it'll be fine."

"You really want me to go down on you in front of a freaking bear?"

She shrugs, "Fine. Just- can you at least put my underwear back on?"

He obliges, slowly moving the garment back up her legs, careful to not make the animal move. Aren't you supposed to be silent around those things?

She licks her lips and wraps her arms around his neck, her fingertips tracing his flesh as she whispers, "What do we do?"

He frowns, completely unsure and incredibly quiet, "You're the country girl, you tell me."


	45. The Anatomy Study

**AU: April is a med student and Jackson is her anatomy professor.**

* * *

><p>Skin. Bones. Blood. Organs. Nerves.<p>

The human anatomy is a great thing.

But the study of such is even greater.

Twisting the pencil in her mouth and biting down on the end of the stick, she ignores the sour taste of the eraser, instead solely focused on the man at the head of the auditorium.  
>I'd like to study your anatomy.<p>

Her thoughts catch her by surprise, though not actually not much, and she slouches back in her seat when her friend turns to look at her.

"What did you say?" Arizona, her blonde friend and roommate, whispers, brows raised. She glances at the redhead curiously, picking up her notepads when the session ends.  
>April pauses. Oops. Did she say that out loud?<p>

She removes the bitten pencil from between her teeth and sheepishly smiles in return, "Nothing."

The blonde girl nods unsurely, eyeing her for a second longer, "Were you doing it again?"

"No." She quickly denies, bringing her notes to her chest protectively, "I swear,"

"Look, I get it. Well, I mean, I don't get it, 'cause I don't swing that way, but I get it. You know?" She shrugs and offers a kind smile to her friend, "Just stop picturing him when we're in the middle of a seminar."

"I wasn't-"

"Please. You were practically slipping your hand up your own skirt. You couldn't get any more infatuated with the guy."

"Look at him!" They both glance down to the bottom of large room, eyeing the slightly older man stood by his bureau.

"I'll admit he's got quite a nice smile and his eyes are - ok - woah. But eventually, if you keep getting your panties in a twist anytime the guy opens his mouth, then he's gonna find out."

"Yeah, I don't want that to happen."

"Really? I thought you might. It's about time you got laid. I mean, let's face it, who better to teach you all about sex than a guy who knows everything about the female anatomy?" Arizona winks, as they reach the bottom of the steps.

April stops following her.

"What?"

"I might, uh-"

"Look, if you're gonna try and talk to him to catch his attention, then at least wait until everyone leaves." The blonde advises, slipping out with the other med students and sending her friend a last look.

April slips her phone from her pocket, pretending to text someone when she really waits for her class to exit the room.

How stupid is this? Waiting around just so she could talk to her professor and feign stupidity just to spend a moment with him? It was the eyes, she thinks. The beautiful green drew her in. It was his skin, the soft light caramel being her kryptonite. The smile though, that million-dollar grin that won everyone over. That had to be it.

"You do realise that everyone has gone, right?"

She turns at the voice, breath catching and eyes wide at his close proximity.

"I, uh- I had to ask you something, actually."

"You couldn't ask in front of everyone?"

She chews on her lips, diverting her eyes to his desk, "It's a bit of a personal question."  
>Can I study your anatomy?<p>

"Okay." He smiles, folding his arms over his chest and eyeing her carefully. They've spoken before, she's just generally quiet during his lessons. He gets the feeling that she's slightly uncomfortable around him, though he fails to see why.

He's virtually her age, only a little taller and with different reproductive organs.

"Do you- Can you- I need to know about sex."

"I'm sorry?"

Professor Avery blinks, clearly confused by her request. Usually students tend to ask for further information, not a full report on intercourse.

"Can you teach me?"

"What are you expecting me to teach you?"

She licks her lips, stepping closer to him, "Everything."

Jackson, the teacher in the room, stares down at her. He's pretty certain this goes against every single section of his contract, of his job. But she's cute, an innocent kind of hot even, and she clearly had thought this through.

"Are you propositioning me?"

"I'm just asking my teacher for a little help. Can you educate me?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to?"

"Are you going to get undressed?"

"Yes." The muscles in her neck sharpen and she breathes out, chest panting slightly.

He nods, coming closer to her and pulling the notes from her arms. The papers fall to the floor and she watches as they go, spreading around her feet. "What do you want to start with?"

"Your anatomy."


	46. The Star-Crossed Lovers

**AU: High school prompt. Jackson is the popular kid and April the shy one, and they rehearse for Romeo and Juliet.**

* * *

><p>"Look, I know you don't want to be here, but neither do I, so can we please just rehearse and then you can leave to go do whatever it is you have to do?"<p>

Jackson lifts his head, bring his feet down from the table and placing his phone back down. He grins, eyeing the redhead for a second.

"And what it is that you have to do?"

"I- Nothing." April stutters, pushing her hair behind her ears and chewing on her bottom lip.

This makes her uncomfortable, he makes her uncomfortable. People prying into her life, into her business, makes her nervous, though she doesn't know why.

"Yeah, sure. You're probably just gonna go home and write about me in your diary." He mutters and she glares at him from across the table.

She'd decided that it'd be easier to study for their roles at her house because her parents were never around, and he'd explained that they couldn't do it at his house in case his friends came around unexpectedly and found him talking with her. He had a reputation to uphold, after all, and a play wasn't going to change the fact that hanging out with the year's grade-A nerd would be lame.

"Contrary to your belief, not everybody is in love with you."

"Sure." He rolls his eyes.

She groans silently. How the hell was he so self-absorbed, so proud and confident? Was his ego really that big?

"Can we just rehearse, please?"

"Fine." He sighs, sitting up correctly and leaning across the table, "Do you have my notes?"

"You were supposed to bring them yourself." April informs him, flicking through her own pages.

Jackson closes his eyes with a frustrated cry, "How are we supposed to work when I don't have my stuff?"

She shrugs, "I guess you should have thought about that before."

He stays silent for a moment, watching as she takes a highlighter and scribbles down some words along the tops of her many pages.

"We could always rehearse the kissing scene?"

He's half teasing her, half curious as to what she actually tastes like. He knows she's not experienced, but she's obviously fooled around before. If he was being honest, he didn't find her completely unattractive. She was somewhat cute, with her red hair and pink lips and doe-eyed gaze. It was just the whole nerdy preacher's daughter thing that was off-putting.

Though he admits that he's had his fair share of fantasies over nailing a preacher's daughter.

"What?" Her voice comes out in a squeak and he smirks, leaning closer to her.

He moves his seat, shuffling over to her side and turning her around to face him.

"The kissing." He states, repeating the obvious, "You didn't think we could play Romeo and Juliet without kissing, did you?"

"I- No. I guess I just didn't think about it."

Truth be told, the very thought was making her nervous. Being close to him was bad enough because of his attitude towards her, though she did enjoy staring into those eyes, but kissing him? That was a whole other topic. She'd never done that. With anyone, and certainly not with someone like him.

But how does she tell him that? How does she tell the most guy in school that she'd never even kissed a guy, when she was positive that he'd go around telling his teammates and making her life an embarrassing hell for it?

"What's wrong?" He asks, resting his hands on the edge of her chair, eyes darting from her eyes to her mouth.

"I just-" She begins, "I haven't, uh-"

"Are you kidding me? You're eighteen."

"So?!"

Jackson scratches the back of his neck then, "Okay."

How the hell does he go about this? Even if he's not her best friend, he's still not that much of an asshole as to make her first kiss crappy and sloppy.

"Just- Look, just think of Juliet. Okay? She was the same, right? Just get into your role."  
>"Oh, right, because you're definitely my Romeo." April speaks sarcastically, placing her highlighter down and glancing to the floor.<p>

"I'm gonna be for the next five minutes, okay? So, just imagine you're Juliet and I'm this guy that you've just met. You don't know me, you just feel this- this attraction, okay?" He tries, moving closer and bringing his hands to rests against the sides of her neck. Shit, her skin is soft. "And we have this pull. It's undeniable, and- and chemical."

She notices the way his eyes keep flickering from her eyes to her lips, licking his own in the process, face moving closer to hers.

"And then, there we are. It happens, and we just can't stop it." His breath is playing against her lips and she swallows a breath, tentatively moving her hands to rest of his broad shoulders. "And I kiss you."

April pauses, gaze focused on his lips so close to hers though he doesn't move, doesn't press.

Her arms snake around his neck after a second, still unsure why he was taking so long to kiss her.

"And you kiss me back."

Then he does it. He's pressing his mouth to hers, hands cupping the sides of her face her arms flung around his neck. It's awkward and uncomfortable, nothing like she thought it would be. But then she feels his tongue meet her bottom lip, clearly seeking entrance and she complies, shyly opening her mouth and pulling him closer towards her.

"Okay." He pulls away, forehead pressed to hers with a slight frown.

"You could be a little nicer about me being terrible."

"No, it- That was good." Jackson informs her, moving his fingers to her jawline, "Just kiss me back."

This time it's easier. It doesn't feel as messy, as fast, as sloppy. Her tongue mingles with his now, a soft moan emitting from the back of her throat when he moves a hand to rest against the low if her back.

Her shirt slowly rides up, but she doesn't move, doesn't pull away from him, because she's actually quite enjoying it.

Jackson groans when she slips a hand to his chest, the other moving across the base of his skull. Nose pressed to hers and hands wandering, he stands from his seat, pulling her up with him. Her back collides with the table and she softly cries in pleasure when he slides a hand up the back of her top. She bites his bottom lip in return and he pulls away then.

April's hand flies to her lips, cheeks flushed and chest heavy, "Sorry."

"Don't be. I liked it."

Was this actually happening? Was she actually sharing breathing space and saliva with him, of all people?

"Please don't tell your friends about this."

"I won't tell anyone if you don't."

Maybe he could be her Romeo after all.


	47. The Young Parents

**AU: High school prompt. Jackson knocked April up.**

* * *

><p>"I can't believe her."<p>

The blonde turns around, "Who?"

The brunette points out the girl coming down the hall toward them, "April. I can't believe she's pregnant."

"Oh, I can't believe who knocked her up."

The redhead stops beside them, clearly uncomfortable over having overheard their conversation. She opens her locker with an uneasy expression, quietly keeping to herself and minding her own business.

"Hey, Kepner, d'you want a quick fuck under the bleachers?" A football player stops beside her, in the place where the girls were and he smirks, folding his arms over his chest. "I heard you were into that these days."

How did that happen? How did her life get so screwed up, such a mess? Oh, right, because she got pregnant at eighteen by a guy she hadn't even dated.

"You gonna answer me?"

April stiffens, closing her eyes for a second and drowning out the sound of his voice.

"Brad, what the hell did I tell you?!"

She almost sighs at the familiar voice, thankful that the guy wouldn't get to her when the father of her child was around.

The wimpy football star didn't hold a weight to the basketball player.

"Oh, come on, man. Just tell us. Is she really that good? Because you know what they say about redheads..."

"Leave." Jackson, father of the year and basketball captain warns him, stepping closer to the girl and pressing a hand to the low of her back. "Now,"

The guy dissipates and the other students around go back to minding their own business.

April turns around finally, letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her closer.

"Are you okay?" He asks quietly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah." She whispers back, crossing her arms over her chest and over the growing bump of her stomach. "Thank you."

Jackson smiles with a nod, "Of course," He stares down at her, watching as she avoids his gaze and her fingers tap against her elbows, "How's the baby?"

She glances down at her belly, a small smile on her face. "He's doing fine. He started kicking yesterday though, and he's pretty strong."

"Ah, like his dad."

April giggles at his comment, finding her back colliding with the lockers when he moves, pining her to them lightly. "You think I was kidding?" He grins, hands moving to her sides.

"Oh, I believe you."

They're not together, but it's not from a lack of trying on his part. He wants to make this work, make a go of things, but she needs time, wants time, and he's willing to wait. He's just hoping that the time comes when their baby arrives and she finally returns his feelings.

"We can do this." He states confidently, staring down into her eyes.

"I know. Thank you."

"For getting you pregnant or for being here?"

"For loving me."


	48. The Dirty Averys

**During a meeting/benefit, Jackson keeps whispering dirty things to April.**

* * *

><p>She's not entirely sure why she tagged along.<p>

Granted, she was an Avery now and she knew she'd have to attend these sorts of things eventually.

And yes, Catherine had kind of pressured her into attending the benefit.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen." Her mother-in-law closes her speech and April applauds, a smile on her face as Catherine leaves the stage.

"You know, you really shouldn't have worn that."

Her husband's voice behind her catches her by surprise and she places a hand over her heart when she turns to face him. "Jackson, you scared me."

He smirks, stepping closer behind her, and taking her hand that was holding a wine glass. "Drinking, I see."

"Our baby was born five months ago, I think I can start drinking again."

"You sound like an alcoholic."

"Well, you look horny." She points out, placing her glass on a nearby platter. She grasps his arms wrapped around her waist and tugs them to her chest.

Jackson chuckles, leaning down to press a light kiss to the side of her neck, "I am."

"Too bad, mister. There are like six hundred people here and I'm not doing it in the bathroom again." She informs him.

He sighs with a playful huff, "Then, can we please just get out of here?"

"This is your family's benefit, not mine."

"Technically, my family is yours too, now. And I don't care, I'd much rather be alone with my wife because she looks incredible right now."

"Stop it."

"I wanna rip that dress right off of you." He mumbles in her ear, voice low so only she can hear.

Her face flushes, glancing around them at the other guests. "Jackson."

Luckily, no one is staring.

His hands move to her hips and he slips his fingers lower down her sides to feel for her underwear, though he fails to find anything. "April."

"I'm not wearing any."

"Crap." He breathes against her, hands moving back up to her waist ad to cup her neck from behind. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to me right now?"

April giggles, clearly feeling his struggle through the back of her long dress, "I think I have a pretty good idea."

"Seriously, let's just go."

"No."

She stands still, shoulders dropping when he blows against her neck and traces his hand down between her breasts discreetly.

"What are you doing?"

He doesn't answer, instead just slips his hand to her pelvis when no one is looking. He presses his palm against her covered flesh, "Somebody's wet."

"Jackson."

"Are you wet for me, baby?"

She closes her eyes for an instant, leaning her head back against his shoulder and letting him kiss her cheek tenderly, softly cursing when he moves his hand away from her lap.

"You know what I want right now?" He begins, a smirk in his face as he whispers, thankful that they were in a somewhat secluded area of the dark the ballroom. "I want to be inside you."

"Oh, Jesus."

"Buried. Don't you want that, baby?" He presses his lips to the base of her beck, tongue licking across her skin lovingly, "And I want room service."

April almost laughs at that. Trust him to always want food at any given moment.

"Uhuh."

"Do you know all the things you can do with chocolate-covered strawberries? And ice cream."

"Yeah." Her voice is low, uneven almost.

"And sauce? You can put sauce anywhere. Everywhere. Do you know where I want it?"

"No."

"On you. Everywhere, so I can lick it off."

"Stop." Her body contradicts her words and he smiles wickedly.

"D'you like that? I know you do. I want caramel sauce all over you. In every crease, and fold, covering all of you. And I'll take it all."

She takes a deep breath, smaller hands gripping his arms, "Jackson."

His green eyes shine, fingertips leaving hers to cup her right breast, "But this dress though? I wanna rip it. Right now."

"It was expensive."

"So? I happen to think it'd look much better on the floor. And I prefer what lies underneath. You."

"Stop,"

"God, I wanna fuck you so bad right now." He admits, noticing the blush on her cheeks and the way her hand trembles. She's enjoying this, and he's almost won her over, "Do you want me to fuck you?"

"Jackson-"

"I want to bend you over the bed and take you every way I possibly can. I know you like it when I'm behind. Don't you want to that? Don't you want to be on your knees right now? Or do you just want me to get on mine?"

"Jesus."

"I will. Because you taste so sweet, so amazing. And I love it. I love you, and I love those small cries you make when you orgasm, when I lick the crap out of your pussy."

"Oh my God."

She's given up, given in. Fighting it is useless, he's already won.

She grasps his hand then, pulling him extremely close behind her as they walk over to the exit.

"I'm gonna kill you."

"You love me."

"Shut up, or you won't be eating anything tonight."


	49. The Maiden's Nightgown

**AU: Jackson is the heir to the Avery throne, and April is meant to only be his servant.**

* * *

><p>"Sir-"<p>

"Do not call me that. We are almost of the same age."

She sighs, head throwing back and eyes meeting the ceiling, "That may be true, but we definitely are not of the same ranking."

"And?" He blinks, mouth pressed to her shoulder, teeth nibbling against her naked flesh.

"And the Queen would have me shipped off to satisfy dirty old swordsmen if she knew."

Jackson, heir to the Avery throne and prince of twenty-nine years, rolls his eyes, hands grasping the backs of her knees and pulling her against him, clothed legs rubbing into a friction.

She closes her eyes when he slips a hand up the front of her nightgown, palm slowly grazing her skin. Damn him.

"My mother would not punish you for satisfying me."

"She would make me a whore."

And she is nothing of the sort. She is new, an amateur, almost untouched except by his hands and mouth.

"But I believe that you are supposed to be mine."

"I am already yours." April informs him. She isn't meant to be. She's meant to assist, clean, serve. She isn't supposed to be slipping between the Prince's sheets that she'd made earlier that morning

He smiles against her skin, mouth moving down her slim body and hands grasping the sides of her gown. He balls the cloth between his fists, holding it by her waist and pressing his nose to her pelvis.

She moves her hands to reach for him, to bring him back to her, to pull him away before he does what she knows he's tempted to.

"You should never dress."

April giggles softly, red hair swaying as she moves to sit up, hands grasping the sides of his face and he shifts up to face her.

"You must be a mad man." She tells him, opening her legs to wrap around him as he kneels in front of her, his larger hands still holding her white gown.

"You must make me one." Jackson teases back, lifting himself to kiss her, lips pressed to hers eagerly with need, with lust. She willingly opens her mouth, teeth sharply greeting his tongue and he smirks against her lips, moving his hands to her now bare thighs.

His pulls away from her, lips and tongue tracing her skin tenderly as he moves down her body like he was studying a map, masterly learning about every inch of her pure flesh. He pushes her back slightly, tongue curled and teeth softly biting down on her nipple through the material of her gown. He repeats the same, simultaneously pulling down the straps of the dress to see her.

April moans gently, legs pulling up beside him, and hands holding onto his sides as he makes his way across and down her body, sliding the gown down her legs when it pools around her hips. The cloth of her panties doesn't do much to cover her modesty, her purity.

"You should never dress."

"I must, otherwise your mother would force me into another man's arms."

"And would you want to be there?"

"I only enjoy the comfort of your own. I only enjoy you. Do you enjoy me?"

He smirks, pushing himself up by pressing his hands to the headboard. He shuffles closer to her, green eyes gazing into hers lovingly, and she bites her lip when she feels his reaction pressed to her barely covered mound, "Very much."

"Am I your whore?"

His forehead creases though he softly smiles, lips kissing her chin and jaw line, "Do you want to be?"

"I want to have your love." She grasps his shoulders, pushing her naked chest to his, breath against his neck. She takes a deep breath when he slips a hand down between her legs, fingers cupping her soaked center.

"Then, let me make love to you."


	50. The Naughty Averys

**Follow-up to Chapter 48. Strawberries and chocolate, and sauce.**

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you ordered everything on the menu."<p>

Jackson smirks, joining her on the bed and pulling her legs across his lap. She lies down against the comfy bed sheets, hair sprawled and eyes wide.

"Well, I was very hungry." She softly laughs at that, opening her mouth a fraction when he lifts a strawberry to her mouth.

"Oh my Jesus, that's delicious." April closes her eyes in delight, a small moan escaping her throat.

"See?"

She swallows the fruit, licking her lips from the taste of the chocolate cover, "Give me another one."

He picks up another one, holding it in front of her mouth, "What am I gonna get in return?"

She squints up at him from her position, tapping her bare legs in his lap.

"You can use the sauce."

"Really?"

"Yes," She agrees, eyes flickering between his own and the fruit, "Now gimme the damn strawberry."

Jackson places it against her lips, "Slowly."

The red head slowly opens her mouth again, tongue touching the edge of the fruit and teeth slowly sinking into the chocolate sauce around it. She stares up at him, carefully licking the chocolate that drips down his fingers, "Is this turning you on right now?"

Granted, she's never been much of a risk-taker, but he somehow always manages to bring out her inner wildcat when he gets her alone. Maybe it's her hormones, or the look in his eyes, or the simple need to be touched that's becoming too overbearing, too strong, too powerful.

"Yeah." His voice is low and he keeps staring at her mouth, watching as she takes another bite of the red fruit, "Are you trying to kill me?"

"You were the one who wanted room service." She reminds him, quickly snatching the rest of the fruit from his hand with a proud smirk, "Are you hungry?"

"Are you offering to feed me?"

"I'm offering you a plate." She lies back down, comfortably placing her head back down on the thick pillow and wickedly staring up at him.

Thankful that she'd already rid herself of her dress when they'd entered the room, though he begrudges her for slipping on a pair of useless panties to 'cover up' while they waited for the food to arrive, he moves out from beneath her legs, dropping them back onto the bed. "Lie still."

She nods, breathing ragged and lips bitten. She never thought she'd be okay with this. The April Kepner who was brought up by a farmer never expected to be used as a serving plate, as a main course for her husband. But this April Kepner was enjoying it.

Jackson reaches over the tray, grabbing the pot of sticky caramel sauce that hid behind a bowl of ice cream. He tilts the pot over her chest, and she watches as the sugary sauce trickles down her cleavage and he continues to pour the liquid over her stomach.

Placing the pot back on the tray, he looks down at her body p, a small smile on his face. "Well, you look delicious."

April mildly blushes, glancing down at the sauce seeping through her bra. "Shut up and eat it."

He nods with smirk, shuffling to hover his face above her chest, hands rubbing the sauce into her stomach and hips. His hands almost stick and he leans down to her belly, lips and tongue lapping and licking at her flesh. He moves upward, mouth latching onto her bra and teeth biting her nipple through the fabric of her soaked bra.

His fingertips trace lower as he touches her, spreading the sauce down her pelvis and across her panties.

"Oh, God."

"You like that?" He grins, licking his way down her stomach and grasping the low of her back as she arches into him, chest panting rapidly with uneven breaths.

"Yeah."

He slips his right hand back around to her front, sliding it between her legs and rubbing against her heated centre, letting the sauce seep through her drenched underwear.

"Jackson-" April softly cries, clutching a hand to the back of his head and lifting her legs to the sides of his head when he slides his hand down her panties, sauce covered fingers touching her intimately.

"I bet you taste even sweeter like this."

She closes her eyes then, throwing her head back without a fight and allowing him to do whatever he pleases. She was done. She gave up. She was his meal and she didn't hold a single complaint. "Taste-"

Jackson smirks, lips curling and green eyes sparkling, "How badly do you want me to?"

She sighs, throat dry and head nodding eagerly. What the hell was he doing to her body? "Just do it."

He slips his free hand down the back of her panties, his thumb hooking the lace trim and tugging them over her ass. She rises up, legs almost shaky and her legs are placed back down beside him his hands grasping her ankles gently after he drops her useless panties onto the floor.

He presses a soft kiss against her, blowing air and teeth tickling her tender flesh.

"Please." She barely whispers, hand flying to hold the too of his skull into place against her.

Her body aches, back creasing and neck muscles contracting when his mouth touches her, suckling and nibbling at the familiar layer of skin.

"Fuck." He smirks at that. She never swears, never permits herself to curse in front of anybody, except for him when he really deserves it.

"You feel good, baby?" He breathes to her, returning back to his duty.

She just nods, unable to form words, instead choosing to grip him harder and spread her legs wider for him.

After a moment, he senses her reaching her climax, used to the way she writhes and contorts when she hits an orgasm.

Jackson watches her closely, mouth returning to her body and collecting her ecstatic wave of pleasure.

"Jesus."

"You taste amazing." He slides back up to her face, pressing his lips to hers and letting her slip her tongue between his sharp teeth.

She rests her hands to his naked chest, thankful that he'd rid himself of everything safe for his boxers upon entering the room. She wraps her legs tight around his torso, applying pressure to his muscles and turning them over so he lay beneath her. She slaps her palms to his chest and licks her lips, slowly grinding into his lap, ignoring the sticky feeling between them.

"Is there any sauce left?"


	51. The Favour

**Jackson and April are just friends, and she asks him to teach her about sex.**

* * *

><p>He stands in the doorway, hand resting against the frame and a soft frown covering his face.<p>

She bites her lip from her place on the bed, "Just forgot about it." She tries, shrugging her shoulders and avoiding his gaze, instead focusing on the books on her shelf. "Please just forget I said anything."

"You asked me to… service you. How exactly am I supposed to forget that?"

"I asked you to service me, I asked you for a favour and you pulled a face and things got weird, and now I take it back. I take it back, Jackson, you can leave my room now."

"What if I don't want to leave?"

April perks up then, lifting her head to meet his gaze with a confused frown, "What?"

"Look, you're clearly all worked up about this, and as your friend, your best friend, I would be… willing… to… lend you a hand. Figuratively speaking."

She blushes softly, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear as he approaches her, closing her bedroom door behind him, "Jackson, you don't-"

"No, come on. I mean, you want me to, right? And I don't have a girlfriend right now so it wouldn't be weird and you're, you know, you-"

"Thanks." The redhead feigns flattery.

He smiles, corner of his lips turning up and green eyes shinning, "You know what I mean."He rests a hand on her knee and sits down beside her on the mattress, "But I just- I'm gonna need some rules here."

"Rules?"

"You're a virgin; I'm not gonna take advantage of you and feel you up if you don't want me to."

"What if I do?" She drops her hands in her lap, dropping her focus to his hand on her knee.

"You want me to?"

She nods slowly after a moment, "Well, we've gotta start somewhere."

Jackson grins, eyes flickering from her hands to her mouth, placing his other hand against the bed beneath her, "You're sure about this?"

"Yes." She takes a deep breath, feeling a strange sensation run through her body when he moves his hand to her waist, shuffling closer to her, "Thank you." April smiles, licking her lips and steadying her breath. Is this really happening? Had she really convinced him, Jackson Avery, her best friend to teach her about sex? Apparently so.

"I haven't done anything yet."

"But you're going to."

"Well, you did ask me to."

She closes her eyes when he nears his face, unable to keep her eyes on his for fear of drowning. He, his eyes, had always made her weak, made her cave.

"April?"

"She can feel his breath close, the taste of his peppermint gum spreading to her lips and the smell of his expensive cologne lingering around her.

"I'm gonna kiss you."

She swallows a breath, keeps her eyes shut to avoid the awkward contact and silently nods, lips parting gently as she feels him press his own to hers, hands moving to cup her sides and she moves her legs into a more comfortable position.

It's strange, kind of weird, almost unexpectedly good, and she moans softly when he slips his tongue past her teeth, fingertips tracing her chin. How the hell has she not kissed him sooner?

"Are you okay?" He pulls away with the question, forehead pressed to her owns and nose brushing hers lightly as he eyes her pink lips, practically swollen from their twenty-seconds of passion.

"Yeah." She replies, suddenly opening her eyes and gazing into his, finding the nerve to move her hands across his chest and grasp his shoulders. "Do it again."


	52. The Lucky Dice

**Jackson and April playing with sex dice.**

* * *

><p>Clothes. Sheets. Hands. Mouths.<p>

These are all just things that touch the human body, that cover the human flesh at any given time. We need them, crave for some of them.

Blow. Neck.

He smirks, leaning back down to his wife's body and obeying the dice's orders, pressing his lips to the soft skin of her neck and letting his breath tickle her flesh.

April giggles beneath him, hands clutching at his biceps and pulling her legs up at his sides.

She reaches down by his side to retrieve the cubes, twirling them in her hand for a moment while he continues to blow hot air along her neckline, tongue softly grazing her carotid.

When Jackson backs away, barely though still, forehead pressing to her naked chest and teeth tracing the curve of her breast.

"Well?"

She swats a hand to his arm, carefully moving him away so she can roll the dice beside them on the floor. Stomach. Lick.

"Interesting." She flips them over, hands pressing to his abdomen and shuffling down his well-built body, and he pushes her hair behind her shoulders as she leans down to his stomach, planting her lips to a muscle and grasping his sides with her tiny hands.

April grins, wickedly and almost bashfully, slipping her tongue past her lips and touching his skin, and she smiles when she feels him pressed to her thigh. "All in due time." She whispers against his pelvis, tracing his mouth lower and curling her tongue around every single part of his flesh.

Her hands lips lower, gripping onto his strong thighs and moving herself into her knees, curving her back as she continues her travels.

"I think you're heading somewhere else right now." Jackson teases her, "April,"

"Yes?" She asks him innocently, glancing up at his face through long lashes and biting her bottom lip as she tucks her thumbs down the sides if his tight boxers. "Am I doing something wrong?"

He just rolls his eyes, gripping her hips suddenly and pulling her back up to his level, her legs dropping to his sides and cradling her face between his hands. "Give me the dice."

April reaches back, purposely applying pressure to his groin and placing a hand against his pelvis for support. She hands him the two dice, chewing on her bottom lip and sitting to straddle his waist as he toys with them, shaking his hand up and down before he drops them onto the rug beneath them.

"Well?"

He smirks, pulling her underneath him and hovering over her body, hands holding him up by her sides, "Stroke. Lips."

"How are you gonna-"

She stops when she feels his hand pressed to the centre of her thin lace panties, fingers curving toward her ass. "Nobody said anything about them being the lips on your face."

He informs her, rubbing his hand to her in a frustrating way and she moans gently, mouth agape and chest heavy when he cups her, fingertips pressing into her folds and he moves his hand back and forth over the underwear, softly pinching her.

"Sweet Jesus."

Jackson grins, slipping his free hand down to her behind, pulling the cloth over her cheeks. He slips the material from her legs and pushes it aside before he returns to her, hand resuming its delicate position and eyes focused on her heat.

"Can you stop staring like that?"

"I'm making my wife cum after thirty seconds, I think I deserve to stare."

She ignores him, throwing her leg back and hooking a leg over his arm when he slides a finger into her, knowingly turning her into a puddle of sweat and breaths.

"Jackson-"

"Yes?" He's barely listening, much too fascinated by her growing orgasm, by the way she contorts, aches for him, thanks to him. He's used to it, familiar with it, but he'll never get bored of it, never get bored of her. How could he when she cries like a madwoman and cums like a nympho when she rides out her waves of pleasure, even more so when she's the one on top.

"Could you- ah!" She slightly jumps, back arching and hands tightening around his shoulders when he pinches her again, eyes fully focused on her down under.

"You were saying?""

"I rolled." She waves the dice about with almost trembling hands, and he smiles to her.

"And?"

"I think it's your turn to lie down."


	53. The Protector

**AU: April turns to Jackson for help after Matthew hits her.**

* * *

><p>She keeps her head down, folds her arms over her chest with raised shoulders.<p>

She's hoping he's home, hoping he's in a good mood, hoping he'd passed a good day in the Board without receiving any hate from the other staff members.

She reaches a hand up to ring the buzzer, nervously licking her lips and glancing around her uncomfortably.

"Hello?"

"Hey." She pauses, "It's me." They haven't really spoken, really spent any time together since she'd turned him down and went along with her wedding, with her perfect groom and perfect dress and perfect life.

Though now her life wasn't so great, and her groom was no longer perfect and her dress was still untouched by male hands. It was only a week ago; a whole week spent in denial and self-loathing on her part. Why did she do it? How she could allow herself to marry a man and then refuse him something he'd waited so long for?

He doesn't reply, instead just buzzes her in and waits for her to come up. It's strange, and awkward, and there's an uneasy feeling rising in his stomach from the sound of her voice. She seems lonely, sad, desperate almost.

A small knock taps on his apartment door and he places his beer back down so he can open it for her and let her in. Though he's not rewarded with the same beautiful and fragile face he was used to.

There was no smile, no pink-colour covering her cheeks, no light in her eyes, but there's a distinctive mark below her left eye and she's nervously chewing on her lip.

"April."

She glances up at him finally, letting her heavy shoulders drop and parting her battered lips, "Can I come in?"

There's no answer on his part, he just steps aside and lets her walk past him, noticing her obviously uncomfortable stance.

He doesn't mention it at first, allows her the space to breathe and he stops on the other side of the kitchen counter where she stands.

"Do you need anything?"

The redhead lifts her gaze, eyes unsure and she shrugs, "No."

"Okay." Jackson nods, resting his palms down against the worktop.

It's almost unbearable. The tension, the chemical reaction, the ache in his chest. This isn't right. She broke him, took his heart and smashed it into pieces, but now she's here and she needs him. This isn't right. Because she should be with him, married to him, and he would never lay a hand on her like that.

"What happened?"

"He got mad." April sighs, avoiding his stare yet again and awkwardly rubbing her arms when he moves closer to her.

"Why?"

"Because we've been married for nine days and we haven't had sex."

His heart clears at that. He'd been lying in agony since that day, having nightmares about another man touching her, feeling her. And while he was thankful for the fact that no man aside from him that seen her, all of her, he was far from content with the other's man attitude about that part.

"April-"

She closes her eyes, arms folding back over her chest protectively, "It just- I thought- I thought that that - that he - was what I wanted." He hates how she brings it up, how she talks about the day when he'd been left broken hearted and embarrassed, ashamed with himself. "We just- It didn't- He started unzipping my dress and I-" April stops, hazel flickering back up to meet his, now dull and in awe ones, "I couldn't let him."

"That's no excuse for him hurting you."

"I never should have done it, though. Married him? I shouldn't have done it. And I'm so sorry that I did."

"April-"

"I'm sorry for hurting you, and choosing to run away and marry someone else right in front of you. You said- You told me how you felt and I just- I ignored you, and I tried to forget you, and I told myself that I didn't really love you. But I did. And I do. And it wasn't fair of me to marry him when I really wanted you. I was scared, Jackson. I loved you, and you knew that, and you loved me, and I was scared. But I'm even more terrified now."

He steps closer to her then, wrapping his arms around her body and pulling her against him softly. Of anyone, he's always been the only one to know how to calm her, to heal her, to comfort her.

"You're gonna be fine."

"How?" Her voice breaks and she ducks her head into his chest, wiping the tears that fall onto his shirt.

Jackson closes her eyes briefly before they open again, blinking rapidly with a deep breath as he looks down at her. How is he supposed to help her? His heart is broken still, and he's constantly in pain over the thought of her marrying someone else. How is he supposed to look at the woman he loves and help her recover from another man hurting her?

"I can make it look like an accident." His voice is low, soft even, and she stills against him, "Okay? If you want me to, I can. He's not going to hurt you, I won't let him. And if he ever touches you again, I'll kill him."

She's reminded of that time three years ago when he'd protected her then, as a friend, not as a man in love with her. He's always been there, always been her protector, her saviour. "Jackson-"

"I will." He cups the sides of her face and rests his forehead to hers, making her look into his eyes, dead set on his words, "I can make it look like an accident. And if I have to go down for that, then I will."

"I love you." April slips out, hands digging into his sides and taking a deep breath. Now may not be the perfect time, but he's offering to ruin himself for her, to burn his life to the ground. And she knows that he's serious, that he means every word. He would do anything for her, follow her anywhere, change his life for her, but she could never ask him to do that. She could only ask him to keep his faith, his love, for her alive, despite all the hurt she's caused him lately.

"I know."


	54. The Dance

**AU: Japril meets Dirty Dancing.**

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry about him."<p>

He nods, "I know, but you shouldn't have to apologise. I get it. I'm not like you or your-"

"No, don't do that! Don't try and compare yourself to me, or my family. You don't have to. You're better than everyone I know, Jackson."

Somehow, they'd gotten closer and her hands are creeping up his body. And he's not exactly making a move to push her away.

"Dance with me."

Suddenly, she's fallen for him. She's heads over heels for this guy, for this man who's reeled her in and who keeps pulling her towards him, who never fails to amaze her, to charm her.

"Now?"

He still slips a hand to her waist despite his words, and she nods. She eyes his mouth, for probably the fifth time since entering the room, and she rests her hands to his shoulders.

The music on his radio swaps then, as though on cue to play something sweeter, something that will wreck the tension in a great way.

April can feel her spine tingling when he touches her, his darker hands gripping her flesh tenderly and his face frowning softly, clearly swept up in the moment, in her. And she can understand his struggle. He makes it pretty hard for her to breath, to think straight.

He slides the palms of his hands up her sides slowly, stopping below her breasts before he brings his hands back down to her hips, swaying her again him, and she swallows a sharp breath when she feels herself grind into him, clothed skin to clothed organ and sweaty palms to humid skin.

She traces her hands from his neck down his chest, stopping on the hem of his pants before she moves her feet, circling his body like a predator trapping its prey. She wants this, wants him, and she has done for quite some time now.

She slips around him, sliding her fingertips across the muscles of his back as she walks around him in a teasing way, trying her hardest to make him cave. As she steps back in front of him, a hand rests to his chest as the other pushes past his waist to grab his behind.

Jackson copies her then, palms shuffling down her clothed back to rest on her bottom until he grips the edge of her top, pulling it from beneath her jeans.

His green eyes are bright on hers despite the dark room, and the music seems never ending, like it's waiting for them to do something, anything.

He pulls the white shirt from her body, raising her arms in the process and holding the garment against her back as she sighs with her eyes closed, as though she's anticipating something.

He leans into her body then, dropping the shirt and holding her hips tight, lower body pressing into hers and breathing in her smell.

She moves her hands to rest against his hipbones, tracing his bare abdomen with her hands and thumbs pressing into his flesh gently. She chews her lip with a daring grin, glancing up at his face as if to ask, to confirm.

And who is he to deny her?


	55. The Secretive Spouses

**AU: Japril meets Mr & Mrs Smith.**

* * *

><p>"Drop it."<p>

"You drop it!" She shouts back, hands wrapped around the weapon trying not to shiver too much. She can't let him know she's weak in the moment, unsure.

Jackson doesn't blink, keeps his gaze focused on hers and grits his teeth, "If you don't, I don't."

She lifts a shoulder quickly before dropping it, hitching a brow with a small grin, "Tough shit."

His wife doesn't swear, doesn't curse. Or maybe she does, but he's always failed to hear it.

Obviously, there were many things about their marriage that weren't clear. Their jobs, their backgrounds, their personalities. Though he doubts her loving and doting wife role was just an act. She played it too well. But what kind of assassin was she if she also cooked him chicken for dinner and served him wine, if she greeted his mother openly and walked around the house in a freaking apron.

"The curtains are disgusting." He nods his head over to where they hang, hoping she'll follow and break their stare. He fails and April licks her lips.

"The curtains are horrible."

He smirks, noticing the brief way her hand moves and the way she chews on her lip, almost nervously. He's not going to hurt her. He can't, won't, wouldn't ever dream of it. He loves her despite everything, despite their clearly fucked up the now apparent lack of communication on both of their parts.

"Shoot me." She's testing him, challenging him, trying him out. He doubts she thinks he can actually do it.

"No."

"Shoot me!"

"I can't!" His teeth grind his bottom lip, swallowing a sharp breath and keeping his green eyes on her hazel ones, trying not to shift his gaze to her soft neck when she sighs and the muscles tense.

He moves his hands then, lowering his gun to his side and letting it slide through his fingertips. "Do it."

He can't shoot her, kill her. He won't let himself. He loves her too much, but maybe she could do it. Maybe she'd been faking everything, maybe she'd never felt the same after all. And, if that was the case, than he'd rather be dead then live with himself and his denial.

"No. Come on!" Her nostrils flare and she breathes out in frustration, "Come on!"

He kicks his gun away and steps closer to her, watching as she seems to pause when he comes nearer.

"Come on!"

He'd never imagined a time when he'd be sparing with his beloved wife at two o'clock in the morning in their wrecked living room. The couch was destroyed, the kitchen was bombed, the hallway was a mess. The bedroom up the stair was a tip, the bathroom was the scene of a small explosion. They'd ruined everything but their actual vows. _In sickness and in health, 'til death do us part._

April groans when he comes even closer, and she drops the gun from her hands. She quickly reaches for him, fingers grasping at his neck and legs wrapping around his waist as he picks her up. She can't do it, can't kill him. She loves him too much.

She lets a soft moan escape past her lips when he slams her into the wall, paper and falling pictures hanging by her sides. He grips her waist to hold her, letting her unbutton and push the shirt from his shoulders.

His hands meet the hem of her tight evening dress, pulling it above her head and she lifts her arms to remove it, throwing her head back against the now brick wall with a cry when he kisses down her throat. He grips the revolver she'd kept safe in the garter around her thigh and he throws it away, palms folding under the backs of her knees and pulling her against him.

They may have broken their house and everything around it, but their love and marriage are still in tact.


	56. The Unholy

**AU: Where she's a young nun and he's a fine ass priest.**

* * *

><p>She gently fondles the rosary hanging around her neck, her fingers slipping through the beads and back as she waits.<p>

Her eyes are glued to his desk, tracing the sharp edges as she hears the door open behind her. She doesn't turn around, instead just chooses to focus her attention on the wooden bench before her.

Okay, so maybe it's not a bench per se, but she can definitely picture herself sitting atop it.

No. No, she can't. She took an oath, a pledge, a promise. One that doesn't include fantasizing about her holy Father all day and night long.

"Sister April." He greets her, stepping around to his desk and letting his hand linger on her shoulder for a moment too long.

She smiles, hiding her faint blush, and she drops her hands to her lap, resting them comfortably on her black habit.

"Father."

He sits down then, palms spread to the wood and bright eyes shining as she tries to remove the sight of his collar, of his own promise.

"You've changed your hair." He speaks, his forehead creasing as he stares at her.

She quickly tucks the loose strands beneath her piece and clears her throat, "Yes, it's- Red."

"Fiery."

She licks her lips before replying, "Indeed."

He smiles and leans back, his green eyes piercing hers and his hands catching her attention. He taps his fingertips along the edge of his bureau as he talks and she ignores the feeling in her stomach.

"It looks nice, you should show it off."

She stiffs a laugh, "I don't think the other Sisters would enjoy that very much, do you?" She takes a deep breath, as though she'd been holding it in forever.

He frowns and she watches as he briefly chews on his bottom lip, and she pretends that she didn't catch him eyeing her lips. "Well, there is no one else here, is there?"

Sister April holds back a gasp and lifts her arms up to free her hair to the air, letting her now red curls fall to her shoulders.

"You see? Fiery."

She nods, avoiding his gaze suddenly when he stands and walks toward her. "Like passion."

"Like love." She tries to ignore the feeling of his hand on her shoulder again as he brushes past her, "Tell me Sister, have you ever loved?"

She's not sure how to answer that question. Does he mean in the theoretical sense or in the biblical term?

"I don't believe that I have, no, Father." It sounds a little like a question and he smiles again as he steps behind her, her body rigid and shoulders stiff.

His hands are on her arms then, fingertips down to her collarbone, gently tapping the black cloth covering her body. "Has anybody ever loved you?"

She's not sure if she should move, or push him away, or run back to the hall and pray away the sins she's imagining. But they aren't bad, and they don't seem wrong, and she curses herself for liking the feel of his hands on her skin, even covered by that sacred cloth.

"No, Father." Her voice trembles when he runs a hand through her hair expertly, and she wonders how he manages to be so enchanting when he's promised himself away to God just as she has.

Her legs begin to drift apart subconsciously, and her hands lay resting in her lap when he reaches down over her shoulder. His hands, those perfectly shaped and sized hands, grasp the hem of her gown then, and he tugs it upward, gathering the material around her thighs and letting his gaze fall to the black stockings she wore beneath.

"You know, you shouldn't wear such things." She closes her eyes and holds her breath with a slight nod before talking, "You shouldn't enjoy such things. Jackson." She speaks his name in vain and hears him groan in response, dropping his head to her shoulder.

"This is wrong." He talks, partly reminding himself of their devout beliefs and oaths.

Sister April bites down on her lip again when he slips a hand to her thigh, softly tracing her almost naked flesh, "But it feels right. And that can't be bad, can it?"


	57. The Back of the Barn

**Jackson and April visiting her parents after the wedding. Requested by favamelie.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Maybe he shouldn't have driven up the grass, though she was the one who'd suggested it in the first place. Maybe he shouldn't have kissed her when she asked him to.<p>

Maybe then her father wouldn't be giving him the stink-eye.

Jackson nervously smiles, shrinking back in his seat as his wife converses with her mother, glancing back at him with a reassuring squeeze of the hand.

April licks her lips and pulls his hand into her lap.

She can tell he's nervous and she knows exactly why. He stole her away from someone else on her wedding day and proceeded to create a small human in her belly.

"Mom, Daddy," The redhead grins, placing their hands over her growing stomach and eyeing her parents, almost nervously. "You're gonna have another grand-baby."

Her mother is ecstatic, shrieking and standing up to pull her new son-in-law into a tight hug. Jackson lets go of April's tight grip and accepts her embrace, sending his wife an amused look.

"Thank you."

"You're... welcome?" He raises a brow in confusion, watching as April shrugs her shoulders before spinning toward her father.

"Dad?"

"Honey..." Joe stands up from his chair, opening his arms and welcoming his daughter.

She almost counts her stars. Okay, he's not angry. Well, he's not killing Jackson at least. "You're happy about this, right?"

"Of course I am." He cups the back of her head and pulls her closer, whispering softly like fathers do as he eyes the man across the living room. "He's lucky he married you first." He mumbles and April rolls her eyes.

"Be nice, please. I love him." She admits, pulling away and turning her head to see her mother's hands resting on his face. She's talking about cots or nurseries or colours or baby names and April giggles, letting go of her father's hand slowly to join them.

"Oh, good. Now, I was just telling Jacks here that we need to arrange the nursery upstairs for when you come to stay. Kimmie wrecked it last time, and-"

April holds up a hand gently and chews her lip. She steps closer to Jackson, sighing contently when he wraps an arm around her waist, "Mom," She begins, "We still have five months for that."

"I know, but I'm so happy for you. Your father and I never thought you'd find anybody and-"

"Mom."

"And with your sisters calling you Ducky, well, I mean that wasn't exactly comforting-"

"Karen-"

"Alright, alright. I'm done. Gosh, look at you. You're so beautiful." Karen glances between the couple.

Jackson smirks, digging his fingers deeper in April's side and pulling her into his, "She is incredible."

"Okay, can we go now?" The younger Kepner woman nods outside, "I wanna show Jackson the pig."

"What pig?" He frowns slightly. What the hell was she showing him the animals for? Sure, it was farm and all, but weren't there better things to do in a barn than stare at some pigs and goats. Not that he was being a pervert or anything, but he wasn't gonna lie and say he'd never thought of his wife laying on a stack of hay. He had, many times.

She grins, tugging on his larger hand and pulling him outside, "You'll see."

* * *

><p>"Hold on. You named a <em>pig<em> after me?"

"You didn't call, what did you want me to do?" She shrugs, pulling her long hair into a ponytail and pushing the edge of her shirt down the front of her jeans.

Jackson watches her, hands in pockets and a soft frown gracing his face, "What are you doing?"

She smiles, stepping closer to him and grabbing his shirt between her fists, "You need to tuck it in or you'll get mud on yourself."

"Don't you wanna get muddy with me in a barn?" He chuckles to himself and she swats his chest, letting him arrange his clothes himself.

"Shut up." She waits for him to finish and he rolls up his white sleeves as he follows her lead.

They stop in front of a gate with about four pigs behind it and Jackson folds his arms over his chest. He leans his face closer, watching the pigs roll around in their dirt, "Which one am I?"

"The fat one in the back."

He glances at the one she mentioned, watching with a grimace as it rolls around in its own manure.

She stiffs a laugh at Jackson's facial expression then, holding her hands up defensively and backing away from him when he stares at her in disbelief.

"Take it back."

"No." She denies him, back hitting a metal gate and pushing her hands into her pockets when he steps in front of her, resting his palms along the railing. She can see him staring back and forth between her lips and her chest, his gaze occasionally meeting her own, "We have to feed the pigs."

"Technically, I am a pig." He tries, moving a hand to cup the side of her face and resting his forehead against hers.

April breathes out, eyes closing to ignore his smirk. Damn those stupid pregnancy hormones.

"Don't tell me you never wanted to fool around in here."

"I may have wanted to, but I never did."

He raises a brow, pulling her shirt back out from her jeans and tugging her closer, "You can now. You're already pregnant, I don't see what the harm would be in that." He teases her and she rolls her eyes.

"Is that all you think about?" Her voice squeaks, "You think that because I'm carrying your child you can try and seduce me whenever you want?"

"Seduce you?"

"You know what I mean."

"Nope, I don't think I do." He sighs, breathing in the smell of her hair and placing his lips against her neck, "Come on, quickly?"

"You sound so desperate right now." She laughs and lets him kiss her, touch her.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been wanting to get you alone in a barn? Since you said you grew up on one."

"Wait- We were still interns back then." She points out. They hadn't happened back then, and there hadn't ever been a sign of them going to. He was still that hot-shot wannabe-neurosurgeon and she was the perky and annoying intern who followed their resident around.

Jackson smirks, hands running up her sides, thumbs gracing her bare and rounding stomach. "So? It was the whole farmer's daughter thing. That's like every guy's fantasy."

April nods slowly, licking her lips and straightening her back, slipping her hands into the back pockets of his jeans and pulling him against her. "Is that a fantasy of yours?"

"Definitely." He grasps the backs of her knees and pulls her up, holding her legs by his sides with a smile, "Now can I please check it off my list?"

"Just don't let my dad find out."

"How would he find out?"

"He has his ways." She winks, running her hands up his chest to wrap them around his neck, "Besides, you take forever so he'd probably walk in here before we're done. You need to be fast."

"That's actually a quality, but whatever. And you're loud, so-'

"I'm loud?"

"You're very, very loud. But I happen to enjoy it."

"Kiss-ass."

"Shut up. I'm seducing you."

"Shut up, you pig."


	58. The Bedtime Book

**For The Very Last Valkyrie. Books and boobs and bed sheets.**

* * *

><p>He deeply groans when he reaches the final paper, eyes scanning the words and rolling as they flick across another one of Bailey's high-cost risks.<p>

"Board stuff?" His wife joins him on the bed, legs tucking beneath the cover and resting her hands in her lap. She cradles a book softly and turns to look at him with a gentle smile.

Jackson frowns, "I'm bored of this stuff." He messes with her words, tossing the papers down by his side of their bed and turning on his side. He faces her, watching as she shifts comfortably and cracks open her book, closer to the beginning than the end. He squints as he tries to catch a glimpse of the cover, "What are you reading?"

He moves beside her in the bed, resting his head against the side of her arm warmly and pressing kisses to the inside of her elbow.

April smiles, ignoring his gaze as she continues to read,"Pride and Prejudice."

"That old thing?" He shifts closer, longer legs tangling with her shorter, smoother ones and tossing an arm across her waist. He pulls her closer to him, careless about the book she holds in her lap, and he leans his head down to her chest, the side of his face relying against the swell of her breasts. It's warm, comfortable, and he absolutely enjoys doing it every night.

"It's a great thing." She informs him, raising a brow as she glances away from the page, "Have you ever read it?"

"I think they tried to get me to read it once in school, but I wasn't a fan."

"How were you not a fan?"

"Uh, I'm a guy." He uses as an excuse, pressing his nose to the gap of her breasts and softly kissing the flesh. He never thought April would be one for wearing flimsy, tiny, see-through nightgowns to bed. Damn her.

"That's not an excuse." She swats his arm when he pulls on a strap of her nightgown, trying to cover her with his lips, "Jackson-"

"April." He whines, eyelashes fluttering and licking his lips. He wrap his long fingers around the corner of her book, carefully closing it as he pulls it away from her lap. "I might not enjoy your book but I do enjoy you."

She giggles, laying back down against the sheets and letting him hover over her, hands pushed up by her sides and pressing against her softly. "How much?"

Jackson smirks, eyes flickering between her own hazel ones and her mouth, "So much."

She grins, letting him kiss her quickly before he trails his lips down her throat. Her hands reach beside him, grabbing her book and lifting it to swat him on his ass.

"Ow, what the hell!"

"Too bad!" April laughs, pushing him off of her gently and letting him fall down at her side. He frowns with a soft sigh, almost like a child's pout, and she shakes her head, "Don't be such a baby."

"The baby, my dear, is in there." He rests a hand to her stomach over the growing bump of her belly and he closes his eyes, throwing his head back against his pillow. "My baby."

"Our baby." She corrects him, short legs tangling with his longer ones and allowing him the privilege of resting the side of his face against her arm again, "Now be quiet, I have a book to read."


	59. The Forgotten

**AU: Japril meets _The Vow_.**

* * *

><p>"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"<p>

He folds his arms over his chest then, forehead creased and eyes dark.

"I'm saying," Derek sighs, "that she may not be able to retrieve her full memory."

Jackson squints his eyes, licking his lips and backing away from the neurosurgeon to lean himself against a wall. He swallows sharply, closing his eyes and taking a much-needed breath,

How could this be happening? This was never part of their plan. Sure, they'd never had much of a plan anyways, but his wife slipping into a coma and awaking with memory loss was definitely not something they had discussed.

"Avery, you need to look on the bright side of things."

"There is no bright side!" He snaps, eyes flickering open to stare at the older doctor. He sighs with a frown, "There is no bright side. My wife has no idea who I am. We have a premature daughter lying in the NICU and my wife has no idea that she was ever pregnant. She doesn't remember us, or even me. Anything from the past seven years has just- She doesn't-" He pauses, running a hand over the back of his shaved head, "There is no bright side, and don't try telling me that there is."

* * *

><p>"Do you need anything?"<p>

She slowly sits up in the hospital bed and licks her dry lips, holding out a hand. But it's not for him. "Can I have some water?"

Jackson nods, moving to pig up the jug of water and pour some into a plastic cup. He hands her the cup, careful to avoid her hand.

He can't get too close, too comfortable. He's a stranger to her.

"Are you my doctor?"

_I'm a doctor, but not yours. I'm your lover. I'm your husband. I'm your best friend. I'm the father of your child. I'm your person, and you are mine._

"Uh, no." He slips his hands into his jeans' pockets and softly laughs, almost nervously, "I, uh-"

He's grateful that Alex is watching Phoebe for him. He wants to laugh anytime he hears or speaks her name. He'd caved. He'd given in and called her what April wanted when she couldn't. She hadn't met her daughter yet, but she had technically already named her.

Shepherd had told him to be careful, to tread lightly and not jump right into things. But how was he supposed to do that? His wife was lay in a hospital bed asking if he was her doctor for crying out loud. What part of that made sense?

"Well?"

"I'm your husband, April."


	60. The Beautiful Duckling

**April tells Jackson about how she was bullied growing up.**

* * *

><p>"How bad was it?"<p>

"How bad was what?" She raises a brow in confusion, placing her spoon back down into the tub of ice cream and curling her legs beneath her. She leans into him, closing her eyes.

"Your, well- teen years, I guess." Jackson frowns, unsure of how he's meant to be wording his question.

April glances up at him, pushing the tub of Cookie Dough into his lap, "You mean when I was a dork and got picked on?" She sighs, "Why do you want to know that?"

He's probably going to leave her, afraid of getting mixed in even further with her lame past and terrible adolescence.

"I just- I was thinking about that time when I called you Duckie and you said that it was a nickname… Actually, no, you know what? Don't tell me anything, I don't even know why I asked." Was he trying to make her uncomfortable, insecure? Definitely not.

"My sisters started it. Well, Kimmie did, and the others just followed. It was- terrible. And then some people at school picked up on it."

"April, I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me anything."

"It's fine. You should probably know tis about me anyway. I mean, I'm kind of carrying your child so you know about my horrible time in high school."

She takes a breath, leaning closer into him so he doesn't move and breathing in his scent when he wraps an arm around her shoulder, both of their sets of eyes focused one each other and not at the television screen.

"Word spread and, pretty soon, I had the cheerleaders on my case. They were just… calling me stuff, worse than Duckie. And I- I don't know, I guess I just took it."

As a teenager himself, he'd hung out with the other football players and the members of the cheerleading squad. But back then, he'd never realised just how bitchy and cruel teenage girls could be. Petty and mean.

"I wish I knew you back then."

"Please. You wouldn't have even given me a second glance."

He almost laughs, licking his lips as he stares down at her, "I would have! You know, you probably had a little something-something going on."

"A little something-something?" She quips with a giggle.

"Well, you did when we were interns so I'm assuming you did back then too."

"Are you saying I was still Duckie when you met me?"

"I'm saying you turned into a swan." He offers with a grin, kissing the top of her head.

She shakes her head with a light chuckle, "Yeah, well, this swan is now a mother goose, so…"


	61. The First Time

**The sex scene from 8x21. (I took a different approach than the regular smut with this one). Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Maybe it was inevitable.<p>

Maybe she was always supposed to end like this. Bare and naked, silently exposed to a beautiful set of eyes that she had never once dreamt of seeing her this way.

What if this was the way things were meant to be? If she was destined to kiss him, and claw at him, and convince him into loving her. If she asked him to turn the lights out and let him touch her, discover her.

The dimly lit room they're in doesn't do much to hide her goosebumps. She shivers, and trembles, and he acquaints himself with every curve and crevice of her body. His hands trace, and feel, and tease and she breathes. Quietly, then heavily. Her chest pants and her legs wrap around him like she was clinging on for dear life. Maybe she was. Maybe she could die like this. Maybe she wanted to.

It's painful at first, as it should be, but he takes his time with her. He's a perfectionist, by art and by trade, and she now understands just why people compliment him on his steady hands and subtle touch.

He's a perfectionist, and he makes her feel perfect, special.

"Hey," His voice is low, almost husky and silent and she opens her eyes at his words, "Look at me."

Her red hair is sprawled across the pillow beneath her, and her arms lay by her side and down his back.

He moves, slowly and tentatively, and she's not sure she's ever felt anything like it. It hurts, cripples her, makes all of her joints go numb, but she lets the pleasure override the pain and, pretty soon, she's in ecstasy.

She cries, though her tears linger behind her gaze and fail to fall, to trace her cheeks. She sobs, hiccups, moans when he runs his hands along her body. Feeling her, touching her, learning about her. Discovering her, just as she had asked him to. Learning things about her that no man, no one, ever has. Kissing her and pleasing her in secret like she'd always wanted.

For a perfectionist, he's pretty perfect. And pretty.

"I can't-"

Her words don't come out, and she's afraid that if she speaks she'll say something embarrassing that she'll later regret.

Maybe this is embarrassing though.

Maybe letting him, her best friend of five years and the only man to ever show her something other than a father's love and support, see her truly and proudly, to worship her body and face and name, was a bad idea.

Maybe she'll regret it. But the humiliation that might feel would definitely have been worth it.

Her face reddens, her cheeks blush and she licks and bites her lip. He does the same, pushing his teeth into her lip and slipping his tongue against hers. It's sweet, and almost sickly, and she almost doesn't want it to end.

But soon enough, he's panting her name, and she's crying for him and for God, and they're done. They're spent and wounded, and her back arches into him, fingertips clutching at his shoulder-blades.

And then she's on top of him, her body now covering his, the tables turned and her new confidence in charge. He grasps her hips beneath the bed sheets, fingers gently pressing into her touched flesh, and she moves. Steadily, evenly, almost desperately against him. He made her feel good, alive, and she wants to be with him for as long as she can.

Until she falls beside him and they laugh, awkwardly and softly, obvious tension lingering between them. What had they just done?

"That was... really great."


	62. The Job

**AU: Jackson is the boss and April is his secretary.**

* * *

><p>"Did you send the files to New York?"<p>

The red head nods, falling into step beside him as he leaves his office. She quickly flicks off the light switch and licks her lips, "I did. And I sent that e-mail back to Shepherd."

Jackson raises a brow, glancing down at her by his side. It's the end of a long day and he wants to go home, wants to relax and leave his cases and problems behind until he gets back into the office tomorrow morning. "What did you say?"

"I told him to go suck his own dick." She grins proudly when he stops walking and turns to face her. April chews her lip and folds her arms over chest when he continues to stare, "That's what you wanted me to say, right?"

He smirks, "I did." He agrees, "The guy stole my biggest client, of course I want him to choke on his own dick." He walks again, heading down the long hallway until they reach her desk.

She quickly picks up her purse and jacket before she follows him again.

He presses the button to wait for their elevator, heading back down to the main lobby for the evening, and she shrugs, "I'm not even sure there'll be much choking."

Jackson chuckles and waits for her to enter the lift before he follows. "And why is that?"

"Well, I mean, there's nothing there to choke on.".

"And you know this how?" He asks out of curiosity.

She better not have been fornicating with the enemy. She was his. His secretary, his partner in crime, his aid. And she was _his_.

April flutters her eyelashes, avoiding his gaze and focusing on the elevator doors with a smile, a faint blush rising to her cheeks, "I don't. I'm just assuming that yours is- Better proportioned." She smirks, "And I speak from experience." She adds, eyes flickering over to his briefly.

"Oh, really?"

She can feel him step closer, suit pressed to her pencil skirt and she stills, back straight and eyes staring ahead.

Suddenly, there's a pair of hands on her hips and she's brought back to the memory of a couple of night's back. His place, wine, her dress on the floor.

Maybe she never should have taken the job, never should have gotten mixed up with him.

But, on the other hand, he's her best friend, and her boss and she adores him. She would do anything for him, even if it meant going against the plans she'd set for herself.

"Do you have any plans tonight?"

"I had a date with Hunt's new associate." She informs him, moving her hands to rest over his own, "Matthew, I think he was called." She's not lying, she had made plans to go to dinner with the young man. Young, but he was still a year older than her, though he was five less than Jackson.

He presses his lips to the back of her neck, pulling her red hair to the side and letting his hands roam her clothed body, "Cancel your date."

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm your boss. And I want you to."

"That's not a reason." April allows him to move her, to back her up against the elevator wall. Her palms trace his chest, resting against his shoulders and she bites her lower lip, watching back and forth between his eyes and mouth.

Jackson sighs, forehead pressed to hers as she loosens his tie, "Because you're mine." And then, he kisses her, tongue and teeth and chapped lips.

Maybe she never should have taken the job, never should have gotten mixed up with him.

But he's her boss, and her best friend, and she is his.


	63. The Field

**The Lake Tahoe wedding we never got to see.**

* * *

><p>It wasn't a church, or a barn or even anything remotely indoors.<p>

There was grass, and flowers and an arch way above them.

There was a field, but no butterflies and no mints. Nothing the barn back in Seattle had.

The lady at the office had suggested the place, citing that they seemed happy and April's admission that she wanted a field wedding had triggered the elder woman into dragging them out onto a field in the middle of a beautiful resort.

It was windy, but the sunshine overtook the breeze and the goosebumps running up the bride's arms weren't from the cool air.

They were doing this. She was doing this, with the right man.

"Are you ready?"

They had nodded, his hands on her waist over the now worn-in wedding dress, her feet nervously tapping against the blades of grass.

"More than ever."

She had stood beside him, letting the wet leaves moisten her gown. She takes a breath, hands shaking before he takes on, holding it and holding her, claiming her as his.

Her veil had been abandoned somewhere along the way from Seattle to Lake Tahoe, and her hair was beginning to fall from her braid, the twelve hour drive having taken a toll on her appearance. But he had reassured that she was still her, and still beautiful, and he still wanted to marry her more than anything.

His jacket had disappeared, probably in his car, maybe back at the resort.

Thankfully they offer quick and short weddings, with assured legality and a glorious honeymoon suite. Expensive, deluxe, but his credit card doesn't have a limit and he'll give her everything she deserves.

Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, he digs into his pocket to retrieve the rings they'd purchased somewhere a couple of hours away. Hers was silver, his was gold. Similar in a way and yet slightly different, a little like them.

She accepts the ring from him, biting her lip when he grins, green eyes alight and focus on her own. She'll never grow bored of this, of him.

"Do you have any vows, or-"

"Yes." April cuts the minister slash manager off, eyes wide as she glances over to him.

Her hands twitch and she smiles, licking her lips.

"I just- I," she pauses, taking a breath and peeking a look at Jackson, at her right groom, at her very-soon-to-be husband, "I love you. I know you know that, but I- I haven't said it yet and I need to. Because you did and it was beautiful and you deserve to know that I love you too. I do. I love you, Jackson. I always have."

He grins at that, watching she glances down at the grass, breath shaky.

"You're my best friend." She tells him, "I know a lot of people say that, and, you know, say that they're married to their best friend, but you really are. You always have been. You were there for me when I needed you, and you supported me when nobody else would and I can't thank you enough for that."

"April-"

"Let me finish?" She almost giggles, licking her lips again and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm not done." She grins, a soft blush covering her cheeks, "I am happy that you were you, that you are my first, my everything." She admits, "I love you, and I know I've made some mistakes but I want you to know that I only ever want to be with you, that I will only ever be with you. I love you, and I have missed you, and I want you."

He smiles, that million-dollar grin he always uses to get his way but that never quite managed to work on her. He's happy, and content, and so relieved that she's marrying him and nobody else. He had won, he had prevailed. He had loved.

"I-" He swallows a breath, a small frown gracing his face as he tries to find the words.

They matter, they mean something, and he wants to get them right. Again.

"This is has been a... strange fifteen hours, and I know you're probably tired and want nothing more than to sleep and eat and probably cry a little bit, but- I love you. You know that, and I know that you do because I made a point of telling you that. In a weird way, really, but I didn't see another choice, because I needed you. And I could have sat there and not moved and watched you start your life with someone that wasn't me, but I didn't want to. It was selfish, and wrong, but I think I was meant to do it. I think I was meant to choose you, and you were supposed to choose me. You were always supposed to choose me. And I've never- I've never believed in soulmates or fate or... anything, really, but I believe in this, and in you, and in us. Because I want this. I want to marry you, and to love you, and to make you happy. I want you."

He can see her staring at him in awe, tears down her face and cheeks flushed, and he continues. He'll always continue, always reassure her, always love her.

"I want to be your husband, because I am ready. I'm ready to start my life with you, to have a family with you. I want a life with my best friend and I know that my timing is kinda crappy and we haven't always done things the right way, but I'm sure. I am sure that you are it. That you are meant to be with me. That you are my soulmate. And I'm not a guy who believes in soulmates."

April breaks into a soft laughter then, reaching across to touch him, to cup the sides of his face and drag him closer.

"I love you." She mumbles, forehead pressed to his and eyes teary as she chews on her lip, ring pressed to his flesh.

"Do you?" He grins, sparkly-eyed and proud, rubbing his nose along hers and waiting for the minister to finish this thing already.

He can't wait anymore. He needs her, wants her. He can't wait to kiss her, and hold her tenderly, and touch her in a way that only he ever has. He can't wait for her to be his wife, and to be her husband. He can't wait to love her.

Jackson pulls his head away from her for a quick second, watching as the man beside them quotes and speaks and fails to hide the smirk on his face.

"I now pronounce you-"

It's too late.

April is already kissing him, her husband, her love. Her hands are on his face, eyes closed tight and lips pushed against his in need, in desperation.

They're married and in love, and they've missed each other so much that their only wish is to head up to their sacred honeymoon suite and declare the love, the passion, the need that had been missing for the past year.

"Me and you, right?"

"Me and you." Jackson nods slowly, nibbling on his bottom lip for a second before he grabs her by the waist, pulling her up swiftly and twirling her around as she squeals.

They had done it. She had done it, with the right man. With her perfect man. With her best friend.


	64. The Wedding Night

**First night as a married couple (AKA: that newlywed sex scene you really wanted to see!)**

* * *

><p>She's still in shock.<p>

She's shocked, and overwhelmed and, yet, so freaking happy at the same time.

"Oh my gosh!" She shrieks, running down the hallway and tugging him along behind her.

She's a bundle of nerves, her mind is reeling and her legs are weak, but none of that matters because she's happy. She's happy, and she's married.

They did it. They really did it and, to be honest, she's still a little stunned.

She had somehow ran out on her wedding to hitch herself to someone else, the someone she should have been marrying in the first place.

It was the right choice; she knows that much, she no longer bares any guilt or confusion. She knows what she wanted, she's sure of it, and she got it; she got him.

She feels his hands meet her waist over the thick fabric of her dress and she leans back against him. Her head falls back to his shoulder and she smiles up at him, her hands searching to find his jacket. She twists herself around and grasps the collars of his shirt.

"Jackson?"

He grins and stares down at her, slipping a hand past her waist to open the door to their room for the night. "Yeah?"

His voice is low and husky and she chews on her bottom lip, her nostrils flaring in eager, "We're married."

They'd rushed down to Lake Tahoe, found the quickest possible way of getting married and then they'd run off. Again.

He'd found the hotel about twenty minutes away from the venue, and they were somewhere along the border between California and Nevada. It was nice, classy, and he'd made sure that the girl at the reception had given them the Honeymoon Suite. Granted, they wouldn't be here for long, but he intended to give his new wife the whole deal.

They were married, they were tied. Together, forever. And he never wanted to get out of their bind.

The door behind her opens and he carelessly throws the keycard onto the floor in the suite before he pauses. She goes to move into their room, her hands holding the hem of her dress up as she walks but he stops her from entering the doorway. She raises a brow out of curiosity and shrieks when he picks her up then, his right arm hooking behind the backs of her knees.

She throws her arms around his neck and giggles into the side of his neck when he kicks the door shut behind them.

He drops her back down on the bed, the creased material of her now worn-in wedding dress spreading beneath her. She bites her lip, tucking her fallen strands of hair behind her ears.

"I love you."

She'll never grow tired of hearing it. She knows it.

"I love you, too."

She reaches to grasp his shirt, pulling him down to her level and letting him ease her down onto the mattress. Shoes are kicked off and socks follow, and he chooses to ignore the fact that she'd obviously been prepared for running since she was wearing sneakers beneath her gown. She frowns when her dress gets between them; it's been so long. She needs this, needs him.

"Wait, wait."

Jackson pauses, lifting his hands from her waist and allowing her to move out from under him, "What is it?"

"I wanna do this right." She turns her back toward him, and cups her hands over her chest, "Unzip me?"

He stands back up, rolling his shirt sleeves back up his forearms before he grasps the tiny zip along the low of her back, pulling it down.

He pops open the buttons along her spine, fingertips tracing her shoulder-blades and skin.

"You good?" He grins and she licks her lips, moving away from him before she turns back around, letting the white gown fall down to the floor.

She steps out of the dress, suddenly feeling his intense gaze staring down at her, with need and love and everything in between.

He notices her attire then, the white lace and the tight garter and the incredibly-slutty pearl thong.

"You-" eyebrows raised and mouth open, he's mesmerised.

His April, the one who had spent thirty years with her legs closed was wearing a thong and looking so delectable that he found himself feeling guilty for staring at her. She was naturally timid, and petite, and as much as he had tried, he had never once imagined her like this. But he was loving it. Of course he was.

She shrugs her shoulders, chewing on her lip for a second before she steps toward him, hands on his shoulders and eyes wide.

He tries to ignore the bad feeling in his gut when she pushes him back on the bed and straddles his lap, legs spread and eyes darkening.

She wasn't dressed like this for him; it had been for someone else. Someone who didn't deserve it, didn't deserve her. Or, maybe he deserved her more.

But he couldn't, didn't want to, imagine her with another man, he had always felt a queasiness rattle his stomach whenever he saw her kissing the other guy. He didn't want to think about her being touched, being seen, being loved by another man.

She was his. Only his. And he was hers.

"Jackson?" She voices with a gentle grin, biting down on her bottom lip as her palms trace his shirted-chest and she squeezes her legs tighter around his thighs.

"Yeah?" It comes out husky, deep-throated, almost like he could barely breathe.

April smiles, "We're married."

"I know."

He smirks, hands gripping her waist when her smaller fingers find the buttons of his shirt, slowly pulling it open.

He leans up on his elbows so she can push the material from his shoulders, hands meeting flesh and eyes lustful.

It's been a long time, perhaps too long, and she can't wait to touch him, and kiss him, and let him do whatever he wanted to her.

His hands run through her red hair after she drops his shirt to the ground, fingertips tracing his tanned muscles, moving across his collarbone and grasping the sides of his face as he leans up to kiss her.

His right hand meets her behind, thumb messing with the flimsy undergarment. She giggles and reaches behind her to grab his hand, pulling away from his lips.

"What?"

"That tickles."

"Well then, how about we take it off?" He gleams up at her like a schoolboy getting to second base and she rolls her eyes when he grips her hips again and flips them over, pinning her beneath him.

Jackson kisses her briefly on her swollen lips before he travels lower, tongue meeting bone and eyes never leaving her own. He can feel her chest beginning to pound beneath his touch, especially when he drops his hands to her breasts for a second, fingertips curving around her sides.

He grins when she softly moans, eyes closed and digs her way into the pillow beneath her head.

His hands move from her hips to her thighs, pulling them up abruptly and thumbs swirling around the lace over her pelvis.

"You're killing me." He mutters, green eyes sparkling and resembling those of a venomous snake.

The redhead giggles again, bringing her hands to the back of his head as he pushes the garment over her hips and up her flat stomach.

He holds it up below her breasts, sweeping his lips across her abdomen and nuzzling his nose against her pelvis, a small glint in his eye as she gulps with a soft sigh.

"Jackson-"

"I know."

He knows her. He knows everything about her. He knows every part of her. He's the only man, the only person, to ever truly know her that well, to remember every sensitive spot and every crease in her body, to memorise her. He loves it, loves her.

She shifts beneath him, pulling the skimpy lingerie off of herself, fed up with waiting. She runs a hand down the back of his skull when he moves lower, lips tracing the insides of her thighs and teeth dragging the garter down her leg. He smirks proudly when she collapses back down, eyes shut tight and mouth ajar.

"Jackson-"

He ignores her then, pulling the pink and white striped cloth down her leg with his hand, dropping it carelessly before he runs his palms back up her legs, spreading her legs at the same time.

"Please?"

It's almost a beg, a plea. She cups the sides of his face when he kisses her lips again, her teeth gracing his lower lip and eyes staring into his. His fingers hook down the sides of her thong and he pauses.

He's doing this right, this time. She deserves to be cherished, to be adored. She deserves slow and romantic, not some quick hook-up in a bathroom stall.

She's worth more than that, they're worth more than that. And he wants to give her everything, all of him.

Her hands find his belt, quickly discarding it and unzipping his trousers, hands slipping down the back. He laughs quietly when she pinches his butt, a small grin on her face.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Definitely."

He shakes his head with an amused smile and kisses her again, more passionately than before and with more pressure, more need. He craves it, craves her. And he knows now more than ever that the feeling is returned.

There is no guilt, to shame.

There's just him, and her, and the issues and forgotten conversations that lingered between them have disappeared. If not just for now.

There is just them, and a bed, and a different state, and vows. To love and to cherish. To adore and promise. To heal and help. For life.

He backs away for a second to pull his pants away, taking his boxers with them at the same time, before he joins her again, hands split between her waist and thigh.

She thrusts up into him, hips curling and chest panting.

She needs it, needs him. More than anyone, more than ever.

He slips his hands down her back, pulling the thin material covering her pride down as he goes, and she lifts her behind easily to allow him to slip the item off.

Once he drops it beside them on the floor, she wraps her legs around his thighs, arms around his shoulders and she chews on her lip.

He's so close, and she's so desperate, and they've waited long enough.

She has waited long enough.

Because, in the end, she did wait for her husband. It just happened at an odd time in a different place than she had planned and with someone that she had never expected, someone she would, could, never replace.

She feels him reach between them and place himself against her centre, her throat dry and lips raw.

It's him, it's always been him.

"I love you." He leans his forehead against her own, a small frown on his face as he slowly eases into her, watching as she gasps at the sensation.

Over a year yet it still feels the same. They still feel the same.

The chemistry is still alight, the spark is still alive, and she can still feel those tingles running up and down her spine when he grabs her waist and pulls her closer, moving faster within her walls.

Her hips curve, roll and buckle upwards into him, her small hands finding the sides of his neck to support herself. Her eyes drift shut and she lightly cries when he thrusts harder, her legs pulling up at his sides.

She links her ankles behind his backside, and her fingernails dig into his flesh. Her back arches and she licks her lips when he traces his mouth down the side of her neck, suckling and nibbling her pale skin.

She could never grow tired of him, of every feeling that he brings out in her.

"Jackson-!" She moans, knuckles whitening as she clasps her hands behind his neck, head throwing back as she feels herself reaching her climax.

He glides his fingers from her waist to her face, thumb tracing her chin sweetly as he continues to meet her every move, increasing the speed of his thrusts as he feels himself nearing.

"Argh!"

He grunts, leaning into her, forehead to her collarbone and slowing his speed as he follows her to completion, head turning to watch as she finishes her orgasm, chest heavy and lips shredded from her own, and his, teeth.

"That-"

She nods, letting her back contort and pushing her chest up into his, unintentionally with satisfaction.

"Yes!"

She collapses back down on the bed, hair sprawled around her from falling from her plait and eyes closed.

He copies her, hips still moving until he finishes in her, body pressing into hers and breath mixing with her own as he leans across slightly to kiss her.

She smiles against his mouth, hands cupping his face and he grins like a child.

"We're married."

"Me and you."

There is just them. Him, and her, and a whole bunch of complications that don't need attention right now.

There is him, and there is her, and there is them. Together. Bound. Tethered. Forever.


	65. The Bus

**AU: They begin as strangers that ride the same bus to work everyday and April always ends up sneezing and Jackson s the only one who ever says "Bless You". Their relationship sparks from there.**

* * *

><p>She squeezes her nose with her fingertips, holding back the inevitable sneeze that's about to escape.<p>

She doesn't notice the man stood waiting by the doors, a small grin on his face as he watches her discreetly. He sees her everyday, always smiling and cheerful to everyone that gets on. She always gets off at the hospital and he assumes from her scrubs that she works there. She's cute, in a dorky, girl-next-door kind of way. He's not a creeper, just an observant.

"Three, two-" He chuckles to himself when she sneezes, a hand flying over her mouth and nose.

The petite redhead rubs the skin between her nose and lips quickly before she stands, pushing her back further up her shoulder as she steps down to leave the bus as it halts.

"Bless you, by the way."

She glances up at the tall stranger beside her. She sees him everyday. He gets on a few stops after she does, and gets off sometime after she does.

He smiles at her, green eyes flashy and pearly whites on display. He's handsome, in a charming and exotic kind of way.

"Thank you."

"Wait for it." He talks to himself, watching as she sends a death glare to the cat on an old woman's lap beside her. Clearly she's not a fan of felines.

"Atchu!" She covers her face, eyes tight and mouth closed.

He laughs again, holding out a tissue for her to take.

"Bless you."

He's closer than usual, stood with one hand against the seat edge and the other extended to her. He raises a brow as she contemplates whether to take the tissue from him.

"I haven't used it, I promise."

She laughs at that and he's rewarded with her sweet giggle.

"Thank you."

"I'm Jackson, by the way."

"April."

A couple of months later, almost a year, the bus is a distant memory.

He's decided to put his fancy car to good use, to drive his girlfriend to work in the mornings when she needs it.

The sneezing is generally long forgotten, the old lady with the cat who always used to sit beside her was gone and instead they were greeted by a small puppy in their home. She wasn't a fan of felines, and it turns out he wasn't either.

It's spring, and she can feel a breeze run through her hair when he rolls her window down. And then it happens.

She sneezes.

"Hay fever?"

"Yeah."

"Bless you."

"Thank you."


	66. The Cramped Out Vagina

**April is complaining about how she cannot walk after a night of hardcore sex and Jackson smirking, feeling very smug much to her annoyance and embarassment (bonus points if this happens in the resident's lounge where they get snark and ribbing from their colleagues about said hardcore sex)**

* * *

><p>"I'm gonna kill you."<p>

"Why's that?" He glances up from the paper on his hand, a small smirk on his lips.

April glares at him, sitting down across from him at the table in attending's lounge, "You know why."

Jackson chuckles then. Of course he knows why. There was a reason his wife had been complaining of a bad back and throbbing between her legs all morning. The result had been three hours spent, cushions ripped, glass broken, and bed springs broken.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

She leans over the table, forcefully pulling the papers from his hands and gritting her teeth, "You broke my vagina!"

"I-" He laughs, quickly holding back his comment when Meredith slips through the doorway.

"He did what?" She walks over to the side, pouring herself a cup of coffee, stirring the liquid as she turns to look at the redhead with a grin. "What did he break?"

"I- Nothing." April resigns back to her seat, slouching and ignoring her husband's amused expression.

Alex enters then, stealing the cup from Meredith's hands and taking a seat beside April. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing." She mutters, avoiding eye contact as Jackson lowers his folder.

Meredith pipes up on her way back out the door, "April can't feel her legs."

Alex holds back a snort, holding a hand up for Jackson to smack, "Dude, nice!"

"You people are unbelievable!"

"Making up for lost time, huh, Kepner?

"Shut up, Alex!"

"Babe, it's not my fault-"

"You - no speaking! You've already done enough damage."

"D'you want me to examine you, or-"

"Oh my Jesus!"


	67. The Bruised

**Imagine Jackson coming home from a fight, battered and bruised. Although April is shocked and appalled by his appearance, she draws a bath for him and tends to his wounds. She worries about him but he assures her that he'll be alright. They both kiss as she ontinues to tend to his wounds.**

* * *

><p>Wounded soldier.<p>

Isn't that the name for it?

When a handsome man with a bloody gash and a swollen lip comes through the door and the nurse that sees to him is somehow turned on by his pain and chivalry?

Wounded soldier.

But he has never been a soldier, and his wounds are a simple bruise along his cheekbone and bloody fractured knuckles. And the woman tending to him is far from being turned on.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

April swats his arm twice, leaving him with another grunt and minor bruise.

"The guy was a douche, alright?" He sighs, shaking his head with a soft frown as he watches her lean over to turn off the taps. "He ended up worse than I did, so-"

"Get in." She pulls the shirt from his shoulders, unzips his pants and waits for him to proceed.

Once he's naked under he stare, he steps into the warm bath, letting the heat and bubbles soak his aching flesh.

"You're an idiot."

"Really feeling the love here, sweetheart." Jackson jokes, ignoring the way she rolls her eyes as she reaches for the cloth.

She kneels in silence beside him by the bathtub, hands dampening as she washes his skin even though he tries to tear the washcloth from her hands.

"April, you don't have to do this." He lets go of the material when she glares at him and pulls it away forcefully.

"I know you like to take care of yourself, but I'm your wife, and I took a vow, and I'm gonna help you whether you want me to or not." She informs him, running the soaked cloth down his chest, stopping before she reaches the thing that would turn her on.

"Okay." He gives in, leaning his head back against the tub and letting his eyes drift shut. After a short second, he peeks one back open, eyeing her with a grin, "Can you at least do that in here with me?"

This wounded-though-not-really plastic surgeon-non-soldier needs tending to.

"What did you give him?"

"Two fractured ribs, a swollen eye-socket and a deviated septum."

She stands up then, throwing the cloth down on his face with a giggle and opening the robe covering her body. Because yes, it had been midnight when he had come home. And yes, she had fallen asleep at ten when he went out with Alex and the guys for drinks after a long day. "Nice."


	68. The Blizzard

**Jackson and April cuddling on the couch while a massive blizzard rages on outside.**

* * *

><p>"Did you check all the windows?"<p>

"Yeah."

"And you stoked up on cocoa?"

"April, we're not gonna be shut in here for life, alright? Just relax."

She leans into him on the couch, folding her legs beneath her and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I just- I like to be prepared."

"I know."

He stares out the window for a second, watching as the white snow blazzes past their balcony before he turns his attention to his, throwing his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer.

"Look, we're gonna be here for a while so we might as well think of something to do, because sitting here in the dark isn't good for the baby."

"It's a little hard to do stuff when the power's out and we have no candles left."

"Well, that's because someone decided she wanted a romantic bath two nights ago."

"And it's also because someone else joined me." She adds, nudging his arm, "What do you wanna do?"

"Well, we could always…" He grins, grabbing her legs and pulling her closer.

"I'm the size of a house right now, you really wanna do it?"

"You're carrying my kid, I've never been more turned on."

She giggles, "Jackson, what if I go into early labour? We don't have anything to deliver a baby."

"Babe, I trained for this, okay?"

"You trained for it?"

"I've delivered a kid before, it's not hard. Besides, this one is mine so I will be extra careful."

"I should hope so. You need to be careful with me too, you know."

"I plan to be." He smirks, pulling her up from the couch then when he stands.

"How are we supposed to know what's what when there aren't any lights?"

"It's even hotter that way, trust me."

"I'm beginning to think that you actually like this blizzard."

"You would be right."


	69. The Sexy Texting

**Jackson and April's attempts at sexting.**

* * *

><p>On one end of the hospital, he's sat in an office, listening to Shepherd ramble on about his and Torres' research, yet the only thing keeping Jackson awake is his vibrating cell phone every couple of minute.<p>

_"I need you right now."_

He grins, shifting in his seat to keep Hunt's eyes from drifting down to the message."

_"How badly?"_ He sends back.

He can feel Torres frowning at his ignorant attitude but he brushes it off when the phone in his hand buzzes again.

_"In the on call room. Naked."_

"Crap."

It comes out aloud and he looks up to find Meredith looking at him out the corner of her eye, a smirk on her lips. She knows.

_"Wait for me?"_

_"IDK my panties are already getting-"_

Jackson glances up before he finishes reading, licking his lips.

Damn those pregnancy hormones for turning April into a horny mess.

He picks his pager from the waistband of his scrub pants and stares at it for a second, "My patient is coding."

"You've been on your phone for twenty minutes, Avery. I know a booty call when I see one!" Torres points out, shaking her head as he stands up to leave, an obvious smirk on his face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

_"Come quick. I'm soaking."_

"Jesus."

He mutters aloud and Meredith waves him a hand, "Just go! You can't leave a pregnant lady waiting!"


	70. The Operator

**AU: April has taken a job as a phone sex operator to make some more money and they ends up talking to Jackson.**

* * *

><p>"Hi. You're in touch with a Cellphone Bunny, can I assist you today?"<p>

"Uh- I don't think I've got the right-

"Are you feeling lonely tonight?"

"A little."

He has a girlfriend, and he's content, so why the hell is he leading on a conversation with some phone-sex operator?

"I'd be happy to help you out."

It's her voice, he thinks. She sounds sweet, and innocent maybe, almost like she should be doing something a little more mellow.

"What are you wearing?"

Gosh, he sounds like such a pervert.

"Well, aren't you eager?" She giggles down the line, twirling her red hair unbeknownst to him, "I'm wearing whatever you want me to be wearing."

"Nothing."

"I'm naked, and lonely, and so hot." She licks her lip down on her end, closing her eyes and trailing a hand down her chest.

She's only been on the job for a couple of days as extra pay, but she hasn't yet had a run-in with someone that sounded so charming and calm. His voice was low but not rough, and husky without sounding like he was on crack.

"You sound hot."

"It's so hot. I can feel myself sticking, ah! And I'm parting my legs-" To say her new job made her somewhat uncomfortable would be an understatement.

"Jesus Christ."

"And I'm running my hand between my legs…"

He's kind of glad he stayed on the line.


	71. The Escort

**AU: Jackson is an escort hired to go on a date with an unsuspecting April.**

* * *

><p>This is exactly why she doesn't date. Hell, this is why she splits all of her time between her home and the hospital. This is why she doesn't make room for a social life.<p>

Her older sister, though it's only by a couple of years, sets her up every now and again with some guy, who's either an accountant or a vet. And while she's far from being shallow or high maintenance, she's kind of always had this idea that her Prince Charming wouldn't be some man who spends all day with his hands in a cat's intestines (even though she spends her days with hers in human guts).

"So, you're from-"

"Boston."

The new man of the week, the one her sister had called her up about a couple of days ago, cuts her off, picking up the bottle of wine from the table. He raises a brow, tilts the bottle toward her but she shakes her head. He shrugs, pouring more liquid into her already half-full glass and then doing the same with his own.

"You don't sound very Boston-y."

"Well, you don't sound very… Seattle-y?"

"Ohio."

He smirks, nodding his head and pointing a finger at her, "Ah, Ohio! I should have guessed, you've got that whole girl next door thing going on."

"Is that a compliment?"

"That depends on if you think the girl next door title is fitting."

"But you automatically assume that because I don't have big breasts and a loud mouth that I'm the shy girl next door type?"

"I never said shy."

If it weren't for his green eyes that she seemed to keep getting lost in, and the grin that covers his face everytime he opens his mouth to talk, she would have stood up and gone home by now.

"Fine. But who gave you the right to assume that I'm like that anyway?"

"It's my job."

"It's your job to be an asshole?"

Their date, dinner and drinks or whatever, had been going quite smoothly (he thinks) until he'd opened his mouth and tried to pay her a compliment. It would have made his night easier, that was for sure, if she would have sat nicely and played along.

"It's my job to know women."

The redhead rolls her eyes at that, quickly downing the glass of white wine he'd expertly poured for her. "What, you're some sort of savant?"

"No, I-" He pauses, leaning over the table so his voice remains low, "Look, your sister was the one who bucked me, did she not tell you?"

"Tell me what? And what do you mean, she bucked you?"

The guy who she thinks is named Jackson, but she can't be too sure because she was kind of distracted by his eyes when he was talking, licks his lips, eyes the way she fondles the napkin laying in her lap, "I'm an escort." He mutters, just audible enough for her to hear and gasp.

"What?!" She frowns, brows creased and arms over her chest as he leans back, glancing around, "She hired you?"

"Yeah."

"To have a date with me?"

"Obviously."

She takes a second to divulge the information, eyes watching him carefully, noticing his nice suit and the way he crosses his ankle to his opposing knee like some manly celebrity with a grin on his face. Suave.

"Why?!"

"I don't know." He says, holding his hands up defensively, "I just got a call from some chick who told me to take her sister out on a blind date. She just said you needed to get laid or something."

April, the now pissed off redhead, grimaces, lips curling downward and eyes squinting like he was talking bullshit. "She propositioned you?"

"Technically she propositioned you, for me. I take it your dating history isn't all that great, huh?"

"It's quasi none existent, but that doesn't mean I wanna get down and dirty with some guy I just met."

"That guy being sat right here." He mutters under his breath, swirling his wine and taking a sip as he stares at her.

"You're an escort? Like, sex for money?"

That's disgusting. And dirty, and gross, and every word that means the same thing. Skanky. Ugh. Then again, she's kept her knees together for longer than the average person does so she kind of thinks she's on the opposite end of the spectrum.

"Well, there isn't always sex…"

"Oh, because that makes it better." She teases, clasped hands placing on the table, fingertips dancing as she contemplates something. "Did she already pay you?"

"Yeah." He's a little unsure what she's getting at.

"Great, then you don't have to worry about screwing some thirty year old virgin at the end of the night. Congrats, you can go now."

"What if I don't wanna go?"

"You- You want to stay?"

What part of this crappy 'date' exactly was so good that he wanted to continue it?

"I kind of like the whole girl next door thing you've got going on."

"Fine, we can have dinner. But you're paying."

"Well, technically, your sister's paying."

"You love technicalities, don't you?"

"You know what else is a technicality? You can technically sleep with me for free if you want. I would definitely be on board with those gorgeous surgeon hands of yours."

"Shut up, or you're not getting paid next time."


	72. The Green Dress

**AU: April wears the green dress to a wedding, and they realise that they've never been to one together before.**

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you convinced me into wearing this."<p>

"Well, if it was really up to me you wouldn't be wearing anything at all, but..."

She nudges him, elbow to the ribs and he grasps her forearm lightly.

"I don't feel comfortable, Jackson."

"You look beautiful, okay. Besides, it doesn't really matter what you look like because as soon as Alex whisks his bride away, I get you all to myself and your dress isn't even going to matter."

"Then why did you ask me to wear this one?"

"Because it's nice, and because you're you, and because the last time you wore it, it kind of got wasted."

"That's because we didn't go to the wedding together."

"Right. And if we did, I would not have let it go to waste, believe me."

April smiles, turns to him at their table. The ceremony had been short, thank God, but the party seemed to be dragging and though she usually loves weddings and all they stand for, this one is a little different. Mainly because she's fresh out of her baby-carrying-boy, and their newborn is left in the hands of his mother back at their apartment.

"Are you saying that you would have put it to good use?"

"I'm saying I would have put you to good use." Jackson smirks, proudly as he turns his head when Meredith starts giving her, oddly enough, best man speech. Apparently she's done it before.

"How badly do you love this dress?"

"So badly, it must be the green. It's kinda sexy."

"It's sexy because it's green?"

"It's sexy because you're in it, and because you're basically naked from here on up." He points to her cleavage, referencing back to her own words two years prior.

His wife giggles, leans into him, head against his shoulder. "This is so weird."

"What is?"

"That we're at a wedding together."

"We should have been together at Bailey's wedding."

"True. And we weren't together at Arizona and Callie's before that. I was alone."

"And I was with Lexie, who should have been with Mark."

"And I told you so."

"And Stark kept hitting on you."

"Please don't remind me."

He chuckles, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and lifting a glass when Meredith tells them to.

"Remember Hunt's wedding?"

"To Yang, how could I forget? All I could hear was you crying next to me."

She swats his arm gently at that, then holds his hand, threads their fingers.

"I was not!"

"You were. It was kind of cute actually."

"I was a mess back then."

"Hey, we were together at your wedding." He hints, a small glint in his eyes and a proud grin toying on his lips.

"We weren't supposed to be."

"Maybe we were."


	73. The Alternate Universe

**AU: Set post 10x17 deleted scenes. Jackson finally shaves off that disgusting scruff and April begs him for Baby Number Two.**

* * *

><p>"Is she asleep?"<p>

"Yeah."

April sighs, taking a deep breath as she pours another glass of wine for herself.

She pushes the bottle away, lets her eyes cast upwards to meet her husband's as he stands on the opposite stand of the island in their kitchen.

He's just staring down at his hand, for what was probably the thirtieth time that day, and then he closes his bright eyes, sliding his elbows across the counter and letting his head drop.

"Jackson?"

"Yeah?" He doesn't lift his head, only groans after he speaks.

The redhead licks her lips, downs a quick sip of her red wine, "Do you love me?"

He perks up at that, a tired frown creasing his brows, "Are you seriously asking me that?" He sounds dull, and she desperately misses the way his voice used to go all husky and warm whenever he told her he loved her.

"Yes, I am."

"Yes, I love you, April. You know that."

"Do you love our daughter?"

He stills, swallowing a harsh breath. "Of course I love her."

She nods slowly, understanding his pain, or at least trying to.

He has to overcome this, find something positive about his, their, situation.

April steps around the island, hands grasping her husband's forearms and pulling herself closer. "Then, please, consider us."

"What, Apr-"

"No, don't, just- Just listen to me for a second, please?" She quietly begs, hazel eyes searching his lost green ones, "I love you, and she loves you, and you love us. You love your family, I know that. And I'm trying to understand what you're going through, I am, but I can't imagine. I want to help. And you need my help. And I'm your wife, so I will be there. Okay?"

She shuffles closer, hands moving to cup the sides of his face as she lets her gaze flickers over his features,

"I am here, and I want to help you. But I can't do that if you don't help yourself. I think you need to consider the fact that this is it, Jackson. This is all you're gonna get. Your hand is-" She feels horrible, terrible to be the bearer of bad news, "You're never going to operate again, and I know that you want to, and will do everything you can but it won't help. And I can't even begin to understand how you're feeling. But I know that there are still plenty of possibilities."

"Like what, April?" He breaks the silence, a hard frown on his face as he eyes her, "My hand is irreparable, April! I'm finished. I don't know what to do if I'm not a surgeon! What do you want me to do?"

"You can teach! You can be a mentor without being hands on, Jackson. You can help people the same way that Mark helped you. He let you learn and he stepped back. You can teach. Or you can do research. You can recommit yourself to your role on the Board. You can help your mother with your freaking legacy! You can shave that goddamn beard off your face before I do it myself!" She never uses the Lord's name in vain, but he always proudly smirks whenever she does. And this time is no different.

Jackson raises a brow, traces his hands until her cups her elbows gently, glancing down at his wrists, "I thought you liked it?"

She's pretty sure he's joking, and she giggles. He's still him, always has been, he's just been through something and lost a part of himself, "I like your scruff, not this homeless thing you've got going on." She informs him, eyebrows knitting as she stares at the beard growing on his chin. She pouts, "Can you get rid of it, please?"

"You're asking for a lot tonight, April."

"And I'm hoping you accept my requests." She grins, biting her bottom lip and tapping a hand to the top of his head, "And this, too."

He groans, leaning his head to her shoulder and she pulls a face at his overgrown haircut.

"Now?"

"Fine."

"Well, don't you look all nice and handsome…"

Jackson rolls his eyes, plopping down on the couch beside his wife.

She turns away from the movie playing on the television and grins proudly, "I'm serious, you look like you again."

"Are you only with me for my looks, Babe?" He leans back, wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her into his side.

April shrugs, "Well, I also happen to love you, but your looks are a definite bonus." She turns to face him directly, letting a hand draw patterns over his clothed chest.

He breathes out heavily, almost kind of relieved at the feeling of a clean shave and a severe haircut. He's back to that almost-bald and kind of scruffy look again and he's not completely ignorant to the way his wife is staring at him right now.

"April-"

"Please?"

"Now? You want another baby now?"

April nods eagerly, pushing away from his side until she rests in his lap, dropping her hands to his legs and letting him run his hands over the low of her back, "Yes."

"I'm really not-"

"We can just practice." She tells him, eyes wide as she licks her lips. Her hands cup his face again and she smiles, moving back and forth in his lap to grind against the front of his jeans, "Please, Jackson?"

She runs her hands over his scalp, fingertips joining at the base of his neck.

"I'm still not me, you know." He informs her, meaning that their small argument from earlier hadn't entirely subsided.

"You look like you, that's good enough for me." She teases, unbuttoning his shirt and slipping her hands past the material to reach his bare skin.

"I do love you guys."

"We know." She replies for herself and their daughter, "And we love you, too. So much. Which is why we only want what's best for you."

"I'm not sure being a stay-at-home dad for the rest of my life is what's best for me, April." He tells her, voice back to that low tone she is so used to.

"Can we stop worrying about that for five minutes?"

"Which means that I'm not sure having a second kid is such a good idea."

He's not entirely opposed to the idea. He just has a little too much, or maybe a little too less, on his plate right now to cope with another child. No matter how much she gropes him or tries to force him into having Baby Avery Number Two.

"Can we still practice?"

He's honestly still surprised she was willing to have sex. She had been even since the day he ruined his hand, and even through this past rough patch of time where he walked about like a homeless person with a PhD.

"We can always practice."


	74. The Flexible Twister

**Probably AU: Playing Twister.**

* * *

><p>"Left foot, red."<p>

She ducks her head to watch herself, sliding her left leg down the plastic mat until she reaches one of the red circles.

"Remind me why you wanted to play this again?"

"Because it's fun, and I wanted to see if I'm still flexible after giving birth." She informs him, blowing the fallen red hair from her face as she lifts her head up to look at him again.

"April, you're still pretty fle-"

"Next!"

"Right hand, blue."

She twists around so her back faces the floor and she's in a crab position. It's easier, more comfortable but she can already feel her husband getting ideas from his seat on the couch.

"Babe, this is lame. Look, I can just help you show you how flexible you are."

"I know you can, and you've more than tried, but I need this."

"Well, I need you to not… thrust like that in front of me."

"Thrust?" She stiffs a laugh, holds her stomach in as she turns her head to look at him.

"It's very hard for me, okay? If you keep doing that, I'm gonna end up getting you pregnant again and this is gonna turn into some sort of vicious cycle."

She fakes a pout, "Is big baby sad?"

"No." He stands up, places the spinner back down on the couch before he walks over to her. He kneels down by her side. "Right foot, green."

"Are you kidding?" She goes to shift her leg one way until she realises how uncomfortable it would be, so she tosses her right leg over her left. "Jackson, can you-"

His hand wraps around her calf, dragging her leg down until her foot rests on a green mark, and he smirks. "You give up yet?"

"No." She sighs, puffing her cheeks and swallowing a breath, "I will not give in to the pressure."

He shakes his head with a faint chuckle, "What about if I do this?"

His hand creeps her calf, moving up until he reaches her thigh, curving his fingers around her inner leg.

"Please don't."

"No, come on, you have to concentrate. Pretend I'm not doing anything." He grins, towering over her, "Left hand, yellow."

She moves and he does, too, "Stop it."

"No."

"Jackson."

"April."

There's a hand running across her hip, and she finds it more and more harder to breathe. "Please?"

"What?"

She collapses onto the plastic sheet when his hand slips between her legs, and she grasps the hem of his top to pull him down with her.

"I told you you were flexible."

"Shut up."


	75. The Strip Study

**AU: Japril studying together, and for every question answered right, somebody has to take off a piece of clothing.**

* * *

><p>She hears him say something about a spleen and an open wound and there's a whole bunch of words in between somewhere, but she manages to answer him correctly.<p>

And she's rewarded for her smarts by his hands messing with his belt and pulling it away from his body.

She's not entirely sure what she answered, but apparently it was right, and _this_ is right, and this is good.

Also good? Passing your Board Exams.

But they're not there yet.

She picks up another flashcard when he plops back down on the bed beside her, and she recites a question about some sort of plastics manoeuvre that she has little to no interest in.

And he's right. Though his gaze is fully focused on her already naked legs and she pushes herself onto her knees to unbutton her blouse.

"This is a good idea."

"I agree."

"I like this idea."

"Me, too."

"Can we take a break yet?"

"Nope."

She grins, holds his gaze for a second longer until her diverts his eyes back down to their paper cards.

Ands he answers correctly, to which his hands slowly start to pull down the elastic of his boxers and she had to stop him, her smaller fingers grasping his darker knuckles.

"Give up?" He smirks, flicking his eyelashes the same way he does when he wants to get some and she slowly nods, a hint of a blush covering her cheeks.

They'd been like this, in this new stage of their friendship/relationship/companionship, for a good three weeks now. And she still blushed whenever he smirked. And they still laughed like best friends do, because well, they're still best friends. And her virginity was gone. And he had developed a liking for rattling her cage and getting her all fired up.

Also, they were study buddies. But their studying of medicine and flashcards and procedures led to them doing other kinds of studying, the kinds with actual anatomy and real blood pumping and true hearts beating, and they weren't just study buddies anymore.

They were the other kind of buddies.

"I think that's enough studying for one night."


	76. The Cruel Intention

**AU: Japril meets Cruel Intentions.**

* * *

><p>"Don't you think you're being a little big of a hypocrite?"<p>

The red haired girl turns her neck to face the young man beside her, a small frown working onto her face, "How so?"

He shrugs, falling into step with her. He'd managed to catch her at her grandmother's house, and he'd used the pretence that he'd been told to show her around the gardens to get close to her.

It's new for him. Following a girl around in a quest to corrupt her. Pursuing a virgin just to prove a point. And it's wrong. He knows it's wrong. But his ego is too big to care and he's honestly determined to win this bet, no matter the consequences.

But she's cute. In a simple, girl next door, sweet kind of way. And she's definitely a virgin. Her wide eyes and plump lips and the way she flickers her eyes back and forth between his eyes and lips are a dead giveaway. He knows what he's talking about.

"You're judging people like me for doing something that we enjoy, yet you've never even experienced it. How can you criticise someone for liking sex if you've never even tried it?"

"Because I just- I don't believe that people should experience the act of love until they are in love. And we're not old enough or mature enough to understand those kind of emotions."

April ducks her head, pushes a strand of fallen hair behind her ear as he steps in front of her.

She has a boyfriend, back home in Ohio. But she can't help but find the man, boy, before her attractive.

"Are you a lesbian?"

"What? No." She raises a brow and folds her arms across her chest.

"Sorry, I was just getting a lesbian vibe from you. It's probably the whole no sex thing." Jackson grins, turning back around and walking ahead.

She follows closely behind him, "Are you seriously that judgmental?"

"Are you seriously that much of a prude?"

His face is blank straight and she almost wants to slap him. Where are his emotions? The guy just smirks every so often and then nothing.

* * *

><p>"You expect me to believe that you had a good time with that old lady?"<p>

He chuckles, "I did. We played backgammon, and chess, and-"

She giggles to cut him off. Her shoulders move and she leans her head back against the headrest, turning her head to face him.

"Come on!"

"What?"

"You take yourself way too seriously."

She bites her lip, shoves her tongue past her teeth and pulls a weird face, making devil horns with her fingers. She smirks at him, watching as a slow smile erupts on his face along with a laugh.

"Stop!"

"What? Don't you find it funny?"

"No!"

"No?" She pulls the face again, clearly not buying his answer.

His laughs aloud this time around, dropping his hand to the gearstick, and she finally stops.

"You can laugh, you know. I won't tell anybody." Her hand runs over his, fingertips grazing his darker knuckles as she turns back around to face the road as he drives, and he's captivated by her.

* * *

><p>"Bonjour, Mademoiselle."<p>

She grins, looking up as he comes to join her on her picnic blanket. "Bonjour, Monsieur."

Jackson leans down as he sits, leaving a soft kiss to her cheeks but not backing away. He can't, won't, help it.

She glances down at his face as he presses continuous kisses against her cheek until he meets her lips, coaxing them open.

She willingly accepts his kisses for a moment, hands against his chest and falling into his embrace. But that's only until realisation kicks in and she pushes him away.

"We can't-"

"I know. I'm sorry, I got carried away."

"Me, too."

* * *

><p>"You're a hypocrite and I don't associate with hypocrites."<p>

"How am I a hypocrite?"

"You know what? You can wait and hope that some guy is gonna come along one day and fall madly in love with you, or you can just open your eyes and see that I am stood right here!"

"Jackson."

"No, just- You keep saying that you're waiting for love, but here it is. Standing right in front of you. You're denying yourself love, and that's what makes you a hypocrite."

April sighs, letting her eyes drift shut for a second before she opens them, watching as he walks back over to her bedroom door to leave.

"Wait." She stills, noticing the way he does too.

Jackson turns to face her with a soft stare, trying not to let his eyes drift towards her chest where her fingers mess with the buttons of her nightshirt.

He's not sure where or when things changed, but he feels differently. He's no longer just interested in getting her to lie down and give into him.

She sits herself down on the edge of her bed, slowly pushing open the buttons of her top before she lets it hang loose across her chest, bare breasts hidden beneath.

He pauses, his green eyes searching her hazel ones and carefully shifting his gaze to her chest. He swallows a sharp breath, licking his lips. He can't do this, can he? He doesn't think he has it in him to do it, to ruin her.

There's a small smile on her lips and her cheeks are tinted a beautiful rose colour that he doesn't want to taint. She's perfect and vulnerable and he won't let himself damage her.

"I'm sorry, I can't."

* * *

><p>"Did you come all the way here just to see me?"<p>

"I did." He smiles gently, hands still behind his back.

April nods once, chewing on her bottom lip for a second.

"I'm impressed."

"Well, I'm in love."

She smiles then, leaning up to kiss him, grasping the sides of his face between her hands.

Stood at the top of an escalator in the middle of a station probably wasn't the best of ideas.

* * *

><p>"Are you okay?"<p>

She stills, hands squeezing tightly around his biceps as he moves above her, "I'm great."

She runs her fingertips down his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and meeting his every move.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

She finds it sweet that he's so concerned, mainly because when they'd met he didn't seem like someone who would care about his partner's emotions during intercourse.

Instead of answering, she just nods, pressing her lips to his again and slowly moaning into him when she feels herself nearing, feels him close.

"I love you."

* * *

><p>"I can't do this."<p>

He gulps, turning around to face her as he continues, avoiding her gaze.

She is happy, and so is he, but he can't forget both of their reputations just for something that might even be real.

"You can't do what?"

"This. You and me. We- You were just a bet, April." He informs her honestly but omitting a huge part of the truth. The part where he thinks he honestly fell in love with her, and where he shouldn't have.

"You don't mean that." April denies, taking a step back as he moves forward.

"I do. You- You were just a bet, April. You were just a conquest."

"Why?" Her eyes water and she tries to avoid letting them fall, especially as he stares into her eyes and steps closer toward her. She backs away again, her back coming into contact with her bed post. "Why?"

"I just wanted to see what you were like." He tells her.

He ignores the burning feeling in his gut, that one that almost makes him want to throw up. He keeps his face straight and moves to stand directly in front of her.

"I don't believe you."

"You need to."

She shakes her head, hazel eyes teary and letting them drop carelessly as he reaches a hand out to touch her arm, "Don't touch me." He continues so she shoves him, "I said don't touch me!"

"April-"

"Leave."

* * *

><p>She hadn't expected to be willing to forgive him. She didn't think that he deserved it, in all honesty.<p>

But his book, his journal, had changed her views, made her see things, see him for clearly.

She understood him now, or at least, she was trying to.

And he deserved her forgiveness.

When she finally spots him down the path on the crowded street, her heart starts racing but for all the wrong reasons.

"Jackson?" Her eyes widen when she sees him in a brawl with another man, throwing punches and pushing each other into the road continuously.

She quickly runs forward toward them, unable to stop her feet from running and her chest from panting.

She's confused but so hopeful.

Only her hope is turns to desperation when she's flung into the road by the other man, and her heart pounds when he's suddenly in front of her.

It's all too fast, and too sudden, and she's almost not sure what happens.

But then he's in the road, and there's blood on his face and his breathing is far from being steady.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

And she cries. The way she did when he broke her heart. Only this hurts so much more.


	77. The Workout

**Because there's workout equipment in their spare room, and certain people have very dirty imaginations.**

* * *

><p>"I don't see why you need to lift weights. Can't you just run like I do."<p>

He rolls his eyes, "Babe, I do run when you do. But I have more muscle than you, okay? I need to keep that up."

Oh, so you can go all Hulk when you need to?" She folds her arms over her chest, twists open the cap on a fresh bottle of water out the fridge.

Jackson grins, places the metal bar back down beside him on the floor before he steps closer to her. "Yeah. I do." He has a slight twinkle in his eye and she has to divert her gaze to stop herself from jumping him.

Who the hell is supposed to look that good covered in sweat and throbbing and- Oh, yeah. OK.

"April?" He asks, moving towards her and trapping her in the doorway, large hand on her waist.

"Humm?" She licks her lips, sips a small take of her water before she looks up at him with innocent eyes. "What?"

"How was your run?"

"Tiring." She tells him honestly, stepping to the side until he wraps his fingers around her wrist.

"Do you need a shower?"

It's April's turn to roll her eyes and she leans her back against the doorframe as he runs his fingertips up and down her arm. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I need one, too." He drops a hand to her hip then, messing with the bottom of her unzipped hoodie.

The redhead giggles then, straightening up and moving her hands up his bare chest, clawing at his skin as she shifts against him, legs closing in on his own.

She lifts up herself then, feeling his hands comfortably resting beneath her bottom to support her weight against his body.

—

He's always known she was flexible. Well, always being as long as they'd been sleeping together, as he'd discovered her and everything she was.

But sometimes she still surprises him, like when she decides that it'd be easier for her to press her hands against the tiling and arch her back and bend forward, ass meeting his front and soaked skin finding his sweaty flesh.

She's adventurous, as much as any newlywed who had withheld from sex (give or take) for thirty years or so (give or take) would be. She liked doing it in the shower. She liked doing it.

His green eyes flash open when he feels her smaller hand wrapping his own, bringing his fingers down the front of her body, using him as her relief system just as she always does and he holds no opposition.

"April." It's low and sharp, and he grunts when she stops moving, stops meeting his every thrust, when she stills against his chest and leans against his heart, "Damn it."

"Yes." She quietly murmurs, teeth digging into her bottom lip and tightening her grasp around his right hand, feeling him feel her as her eyes focus on his left, pressed against the steamy tiles with a print.

April lets out a shaky breath when she feels her legs begin to quiver, her index finger pressing his own to her clit, finding her release and tossing her head back against his damp but hot shoulder.

Her eyes clamp shut, insides turning as she feels him find his own cloud nine, hears his heavy breath against her ear, sharp teeth clamping her pale flesh.

"Fuck." She doesn't curse, ever. But he'll admit that he likes it when she does. It's somehow kind of adorable, kind of sexy, all at once.

With a final jerk of his hips, she shifts a palm to lean against the wall, the other finding his forearm and dragging him against her.

"How about that for a workout?"

"Shut up."


	78. The Redheaded Elle Woods

**AU: Japril meets Legally Blonde.**

* * *

><p>"So, you're trying to prove a point?"<p>

"Yes."

"Because your douche of an ex-boyfriend said you weren't smart enough to get into law school?"

"And he dumped me on my birthday."

"Oh."

The redhead nods slowly to agree, chews her bottom lip.

He can tell she holds back a pout, a tear or two. And if he couldn't tell, then it would become pretty obvious by the way she hiccups once, twice, below her breath as she stares down at the marble floor.

"And you're gonna prove him right?" He raises a brow, smirks and bats his shiny green eyes down at her. He's an assistant to her professor, but damn, he would have loved to have been in her class.

"No! I'm gonna prove him wrong!" April exclaims then, lifting her head with determination and a powerful look in her eye.

She can do this, she can be right. She can conquer law school.

"I'm a soldier!"

Technically, her daddy is the soldier, but it's kind of like a family motto at this point.

"What?" Jackson, the assistant to her professor and her unsuspecting future co-worker and partner and spouse, keeps the grin on his lips, folds his arms over his chest.

"I am a soldier!"

"Yeah, I don't know what that-"

And then she kisses him. Because law school, and fifty dollar mani-pedis, and douchebag ex-boyfriends can suck it. She can do this.

She's a soldier.

And a lawyer. _Maybe_.

"Wow."

"Thanks."


	79. The Time Jump

**AU: Japril meets About Time.**

* * *

><p>"You look nice."<p>

The redhead stood by the balcony turns around, glass of red wine in her hand and a confused look on her face, "Thank you?" She raises her brows out of curiosity, watches the way he approaches her.

Jackson moves closer, stopping in front of her, leaning back, his elbows against the cold metal railing, "You're welcome."

"Do I-" She cuts herself off, tilting her head to the side and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she ponders, takes a breath, "Do I know you?"

"Do you want to?"

"What?"

"I- Nothing." He shrugs, steps away from her.

Take two.

"You look nice."

The redhead stood by the balcony turns around, glass of red wine in her hand and a confused look on her face, "Thank you?" She raises her brows out of curiosity, watches the way he approaches her.

Jackson moves closer, stopping in front of her, leaning back, his elbows against the cold metal railing, "You're welcome."

"Do I-" She cuts herself off, tilting her head to the side and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she ponders, takes a breath, "Do I know you?"

"I don't think so." He tells her, holding out a hand with a smile, green eyes beaming and flashing that charming million-dollar grin of his, "I'm Jackson. I'm a friend of Mark's."

She nods, "April. I am a friend of Lexie's."

Turns out engagement parties are an alright place to be, after all.

He keeps the smile plastered on his face, carefully choosing his words as to not mess up again.

"April? That's weird, my mom was called April."

_Liar._

"So… I remind you of your mother?" She folds her arms over her chest, bites her bottom lip, failing to notice the way he watches her.

Jackson clears his throat, waves a hand about, "No. No, you're- You don't- That would be… weird."

Deep breath.

"Can you excuse me for a minute?" He asks her, holding up finger and catching the soft giggle that passes through her lips.

"Sure."

"I'll be right back."

Take three.

"You look nice."

The redhead stood by the balcony turns around, glass of red wine in her hand and a confused look on her face, "Thank you?" She raises her brows out of curiosity, watches the way he approaches her.

Jackson moves closer, stopping in front of her, leaning back, his elbows against the cold metal railing, "You're welcome."

"Do I-" She cuts herself off, tilting her head to the side and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she ponders, takes a breath, "Do I know you?"

"I don't think so." He tells her, holding out a hand with a smile, green eyes beaming and flashing that charming million-dollar grin of his, "I'm Jackson. I'm a friend of Mark's."

She nods, "April. I am a friend of Lexie's."

Turns out engagement parties are an alright place to be, after all.

He keeps the smile plastered on his face, carefully choosing his words as to not mess up again.

"April, huh? That's my favourite month."

"Mine, too." She smiles brightly then, copying his lean against the railing, almost nervously chewing down on her bottom lip.

Third time's a charm.


	80. The Pose

**AU: One of them is a photographer and the other is the model.**

* * *

><p>The first time she photographs him it's for a magazine.<p>

He has to pose with his hands on his hips, some leggy blonde by his side, and he's forced into going shirtless.

He smiles the way she asks him to, mind the soft blush covering her cheeks and the brush of a strand of hair. He does whatever she asks, sends her a winning million-dollar grin as he does it.

The blonde disappears after the shoot. She scowls at the photographer, bats her lashes to no prevail at the male model. It doesn't work.

"That was fun."

He shoves a couple of mints past his lips and the corner of his lips curl, eyeing the petite redhead with that same smile.

She looks away from her laptop, turns to face him and place her lens down, "You think so?"

"Yeah." His green eyes beam and he can't help but stare down at her lips, "We should do it again something." He suggests, leaning closer down to her and using his obvious handsomely charm to pull her in.

April bites her lip for a moment, consciously folding her arms over her chest, "It was your agency that booked me. I don't think you can choose who you work with."

"We'll just have to see about that." He smirks, turning around to leave.

She stays behind.

It's a couple of months before she photographs him again.

He's alone this time, safe for a makeup artist to make him shine and a lighting guy to, well, make him shiny.

She flicks, flashes, and this time he doesn't smile. He does what she asks, willingly pulls some sort of sultry inviting face when she tells him to. It was the request, not her idea.

"Great."

"We done?"

"No." She shakes her head, steps closer to him, "I actually need you to lie down on here." She points a finger towards a mattress on the floor, clearly uncomfortable.

The model chuckles, obliges, "If you wanna have your way with me, you might have to kick them out first." He nods his head to the other members of her team.

She's not sure exactly what kind of fancy ass watch he's supposed to be advertising, but she's almost positive that he could sell money to a poor man.

"I don't. I mean, I would. Well, you're lovely, and-" She pauses, lowers her gaze and pushes a hand to his bare, holy chiselled back, "Ignore me. Lie down, please?"

He obliges. Because she asked him to. Also, he's being paid crazy amounts of money for this.

"Like this?"

She shakes her head, puts her camera down on the edge of the mattress as she leans down to his level. Her hands drop to his shoulders, shoving him back so he rests on his forearms. He smirks at that, tossing an arm over his knees.

"You want to buy one of these?"

"Nope. I want you to shut up and look pretty."

"Okay."

He, who she later discovers is named Jackson, lingers around after the shoot. He steals a few snacks right in front of her, steps beside her a little too closely a little too often.

"You can go home now, you know."

"Go for a drink with me."

"Are you asking me out?"

"Yes."

"Right."

The twelfth time one of them holds a camera, it's him doing the shooting and she's the one in front of the lens. It's a little like their first meeting, only this time she's the one in her underwear and he's matching.

"Good?"

She moves, shifts on the bed and pulls up the covers to her chest, "You're the one taking the pictures."

He grins, tosses it down beside her on the bed, their bed, "How about I just stick to doing this instead?" He kisses her, larger hands cupping her face and drawing her bottom lip between his teeth.

She moans after a second, pulls away after two, "If you show anybody these, I will kill you."

"Don't you think they'd make for a good pillow commercial or something?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

He obliges. And she poses.


	81. The Secret Bubble

**Imagine April is busy trying to finish up work. Jackson then casually walks into the room, goes up behind her, and whispers how much he's ****been wanting her for so long. April gets flustered, interpreting it as something sexual, until he corrects her by mentioning he meant missed seeing her due to being busy with work lately. Cue an amused Jackson telling an embarrassed April to get her mind out of the gutter.**

* * *

><p>"I miss you."<p>

There's breathing down her neck, breathing she recognises by the heat and force and almost taste.

"I'm working right now."

He shrugs behind her, leans closer, "So am I?"

"No, I'm _actually_ working." She holds up a stitch and smiles over her shoulder, "See?"

"Good job there, Doctor Avery."

"I can't right now."

"You can't _what_?"

She rolls her eyes, smiles at the elderly woman lay in the bed, "I can't do _that_ right now."

The old woman holds back a smirk and Jackson grins, wrapping a palm around his wife's forearm softly. He drops to her ear level and whispers, allowing his eyes to flicker over her bare ring finger, "I wasn't asking you to."

"Oh." She sighs and flutters her lashes, licking her lip and glancing up at him. "Sorry."

"Geez, Doctor Avery, keep your mind out of the gutter. You have patients to see to."

He begins to walk away then, after dropping a kiss on her forehead and breathing in the smell of her fruity shampoo.

She'd hit him if she wasn't going to do _that thing_ when she got home from work tonight.

"It's Doctor _Kepner_!"

"Sure!"


	82. The Honeymooning Tiger

**Japril making love when one of them gets injured.**

* * *

><p>Firstly, there are moans and cries to be heard in the room, after clothed are torn off and forgotten about.<p>

Then come the sweats. Panting, heavy breathing. Deep intakes of air. Sounds of skin meeting and bodies mingling. There's also crying involved, tears split out of joy and ecstasy and pure elation.

And, after a while, give or take a few minutes, something tears, fractures, burns. The cries turn to_cries_, and that tear turns to a _tear_.

"I can't feel anything."

"You can't feel _anything_?"

She shakes her head, clutches the sheet beneath her skin with sweaty hands.

"Alright, don't freak out." He says, pulling up _his_ underwear, and resting _his_ hands on his hips.

She'd do the same if she could.

"It hurts!" Her hazel eyes close tight, and she has to bite her lip to stop herself from whimpering out loud.

He nods quickly, licking his own lips and nearing her again, careful not to touch her. The damage has already been done, it seems.

"Can I get you anything?"

"A new vagina?" She squints, peeks up at him through her lashes and frowns when he can't help but smirk. "Jackson! It stings!"

"I'll get you a towel, or… something. Hold on."

He rushes off then before she can protest, and he comes out of their on-suite with some nice and tidy hotel towels.

"How are they going to help?!"

"I don't know! I don't even know what happened, April!"

"I can't feel between my legs, that's what."

"Was I too rough?"

Good honeymooning, tiger.

"It didn't feel like it."

"I was, wasn't I?" He sighs, creases his brows, "Sweetheart, I'm really sorry. Okay?"

She nods, swallows a breath, "I'll be fine."

"Do you want me to do anything?"

"I don't know, maybe it's just because it's been awhile."

"Do you want a massage, or-?"

"You mean- _Oh._" She chews on her lip as she thinks his suggestion over, "That'll just make it worse."

"I have very skilled hands, April."

"Believe me, I know. That's not all that's skilled, apparently."


	83. The Comic Book Roleplay

**Jackson wears superhero underwear, and how April reacts when she sees them.**

* * *

><p>"Is that who I think it is?"<p>

He looks down, grins like a five year old, "Yep." His hands fly to his hips, fingers tapping his flesh. "Don't judge."

She giggles, steps closer and runs her fingertips along the waistband of his underwear, "Oh, I'm not." She tells him honestly, keeping her eyes focused on the small caped crusaders covering his junk.

"I happen to enjoy Batman."

He rolls his eyes, "It's laundry day." He reminds her, feeling the need to explain his choice of boxer. Clearly he'd have to wash his Calvin Klein's more often to avoid this kind of situation.

"I happen to love laundry day."

"Oh, you do, do you?" He smirks, licks his lips and squints his green eyes, running his hands down her arms until he reaches her wrists, "Are you gonna keep staring at my junk for long?"

"Are you gonna keep wearing them?"

"Until you tell me to take them off."

"Now why would I do that? I love Batman."

She shrugs with a teasing smile before she backs away from him and casually struts down the hallway.

"Poison Ivy was a redhead, right?" She calls out behind her, looking back at him over her shoulder.

"Yep." He laughs, clearing his throat, "Why?"

He waits for a reply for a good moment before she finally remerges from the kitchen, holding a plant in one hand and his reading glasses on the brink of her nose.

"Hello, Mr. Wayne."

"I love you."

"Don't let my plants hear you say that, they might just have to poison you."

She grins as she whispers, voice low to imitate her best Uma Thurman, biting her bottom lip as she approaches him again.

"Come join me." She wiggles her finger to invite him closer, "My garden needs tending."


	84. The Blind Date

**Japril are set up on a blind date.**

* * *

><p>"So, you're a surgeon?"<p>

The redhead picks up her glass of wine, nodding her head and letting her hazel eyes drift across his features. "Yep." She confirms, raising her glass up to her lips, "Trauma."

The guy smiles, wrapping his long fingers around his fork, "That's cool. I'm more of a plastics guy myself."

"Do you do a lot of boob jobs?" She laughs to herself, crossing her legs beneath the fancy dinner table and biting her lip when she sees his face, the colours of her own draining, "I'm sorry, that's not funny." Her shoulders slouch.

His green eyes shine and his lips curl into a slight grin, "Not that many, actually. I prefer helping people that actually need it. Burn victims, disfigurements."

She eagerly nods, obviously trying to forget about what she said, "Yeah, Mark said he leaves you in charge of the burn unit sometimes?"

"Most of the time." He replies, rolling his eyes and sipping his wine. "He's too busy making babies to actually work."

"I know, right!" She beams, "Lexie hasn't even finished her residency yet and she's already popping out twins. I don't think I could do that."

"Have kids?"

"Have kids before I have my whole life figured out. And, well, before I get married." She mumbles the last part.

His brows raise and he licks his lips, "So, you already know that you wanna get married?"

"Some day, yeah. I mean, if you ever- Well, not you. But- I mean- Not that I wouldn't marry you, I just-"

He laughs it off, brows knitting as he watches her babble on, "It's fine. I get it. No offence taken."

"Okay." She breathes out heavily, as if she was lifting a weight off of her shoulders.

"I wasn't asking, by the way."

"I know."

"I might do one day, though."

"Don't you wanna finish your steak first?"


	85. The Goodbye Video

**April has a life threatning disease and she decides to make a video to their unborn/newborn child and Jackson walks in and breaks down after watching her.**

* * *

><p>The room is still silent when she decides to sit down.<p>

She lays the papers out across the table, and she positions the video camera, that she found in one of her husband's storage boxes labeled 'College', in front of her.

With a shaky a breath and a hand on her stomach, feeling the light kicking of her baby boy's feet, she begins.

"So, hey." She starts, dropping both hands to her lap and sending a gentle smile in way of the screen, "I'm not sure how to begin this, but… I guess I should just start somewhere. I'm your mama."

It's still quiet, and she's still nervous.

"I know when you see this, you might not know me, because I mint not be around or… Anyway, I feel like I need to say some things to you before I even meet you,"

She knees bounce, up and down, and she steadily wets her lips.

"You're my baby boy, and I love you so much already, and I want, more than anything, to meet you. And love you, and see you grow up. But I'm not sure I'll be able to."

She sighs, casts her gaze down to the mahogany table.

"See, baby, mama's sick. And I don't want you to worry, because by the time you see this, I'll… By the time your daddy shows you this, you won't have to worry about me anymore. I'll be with God."

She smiles faintly, brushes a strand of fallen hair behind her ear.

"He'll take care of me, just like your daddy did, like he is doing right now. So, I don't want you to ever worry about me, but I do want you to ask questions." She takes a deep breath, continuing, "I want you to be curious. About me, and life, and love."

Her eyes begin to sting when she feels the padding going on against her abdomen, the small bump and thump of tiny baby feet against her inside.

"And about God." She nods, eyes widening with a soft smile, licking her lips again, "I want you to have faith, baby, okay? In everything. In life, in science, in what you can't see or feel. I want you to have faith in yourself, okay? That's so important and I believe that you can accomplish so much."

Deep breath.

"You're gonna have a lot of responsibilities, and a ton of crap piled on you, sweetheart, but I don't want you to worry. I want you, need you, to be strong. And you're going to need to be strong for your daddy, too, alright?"

Gentle smile.

"He's tough, and he doesn't like to say it, but he's going to need you. You're gonna need each other. So, try not to argue, or fight, and be good. Please?"

Teary blink.

"Just live happily. And grow, and love. Mess around, and live. I need you to be experience things, okay? Life is too short, and I know this to be true way more than I should, but you need to promise to live every day to the fullest, okay? And when the day comes, when you meet someone that you love, and want to spend the rest of your life with, do not let that moment, or that person, pass you by. Talk to your dad about that, he'll explain it all to you."

Small laugh.

"I love you, baby boy, and I'm sorry that I might not be there for you."

"April?"

Her head whips around, catching her husband's gaze, stood in the hallway with a hand on the frame and the other on his hip.

"What are you-" He cuts himself off, a frown on his face as he watches her stop the video.

"Jackson." She bites her lip, slouches her shoulders and stares across at him with the saddest eyes, "I had to."

He nears her, coming to stand beside her, and wrapping his arms around her as he pulls her into his body comfortably, into a hug that she's grown moulded into.

He holds her, and comforts her, and whispers words in her ear like he wants her to forget about what she was just doing, forget about their situation, forget that she only has a 15% chance of a safe delivery.

And she weeps, into him, with him, making him crumble.

He doesn't believe in God. He believe in statistics, and math, and science. He believes that doctors know best, and the thought alone of losing her keeps him up every night.

"I know."


	86. The Pumpkin

**Japril carving pumpkins.**

* * *

><p>"Are you making a smiley face?"<p>

"Yep." She grins, holds her pumpkin covered hands up.

"Babe, it's Halloween, not Easter."

"So?" She raises a brow, watches him sharpening a knife through his pumpkin, "What are you making?"

"I… I have no idea."

"Oh, so you critique my guy for his smile, but you're making a pile of mush?"

April stands up, walks around the kitchen counter and leans on her elbows.

"Jackson?"

"Yeah?" He looks up at her from his seat, his hand stopping along the edge of one of the pumpkin's supposed eyes.

She licks her lips, plucks the knife from her husband's hand carefully, "Have you ever carved a pumpkin before?"

"I-" He begins, unsure if he should continue.

No.

He hasn't.

He spent his Halloweens watching movies and eating candy by himself. His mother never had time to carve pumpkins since she was working all the time and he'd never asked his nanny to show him how.

But he's not about to tell his wife, who grew up on a farm of all places, that he'd never carved a freaking pumpkin.

"I'm a surgeon, April, I think I know how to-"

"You haven't, have you?" She runs her hands down his shirt-clad chest (there's already pumpkin seeds everywhere anyway), and she kisses his cheek.

"This is so embarrassing." He groans, dropping his head with a childish grin, "I'm a grown man, I should be able to do this."

It's okay. I can show you."

"I'm not a child, April."

"I know you're not. You are a _tall, grown, strong, hard_ man." She teases him, letting a small giggle slip past her lips when she sees his frown.

"April."

But you're also my husband, and I wanna help you. Please?"

Jackson spins around on his stool then, wrapping his pumpkin soaked hands around his wife's expanding belly, "I think it's only fair that if you teach me how to carve a pumpkin, I show you something in return."

"Oh, really?" She bites her lip when he smirks, hands running up her sides to her neck, leaning over to press kisses along her jaw. "And what exactly are you gonna teach me in exchange for my services?"

His eyes shine, and he stands to cup the sides of her face delicately, "Whatever you want."


	87. The Coffee Shop

**AU: Imagine April is at a coffee shop for a date. She sits at an empty table, holding her coffee cup between her hands, and glances at the clock every few minutes. She's been sitting there for an hour, trying to tell herself that she hasn't been stood up. Jackson, another customer, has noticed this and decides to sit across from her and strike up a conversation.**

* * *

><p><em>You have one new message.<em>

She keys in her voicemail, waits for the tone and listens as her younger sister squeaks on about some new casserole dish.

She probably should have known better than to assume that he'd show.

It was a freaking blind date for crying out loud, what normal guy would actually agree to that and go through with it?

Still, she would have preferred it if the guy had called to cancel or at least told his brother, her friend from church, to tell her that he wasn't coming.

This… This is kind of humiliating. Because there are couples in the corner, keeping warm with hot cocoa and wool gloves and their legs are tangled beneath the small tables.

Then, there's her. The thirty year old redhead with an empty inbox who prefers Chai Tea to Coffee. The thirty year old redhead who got stood up before she even got seen.

She glances around the cramped coffeehouse, avoiding the gaze of an elderly man sat alone, much like her, by the staircase. She's really not in the mood to be eyed up by creepy pensioners with a walking stick.

Accepting her fate, that nobody is coming and she's alone, and she should probably head down to the pet store to collect a few (dozen) cats, because that will obviously be her fate from now on, she's surprised to find a guy walking straight towards her.

It's not him, not the brother of a friend from church who stood her up. His face is just a little bit too attractive, his skin a perfect caramel colour, his eyes a dazzling mixture of green and blue that she envies within seconds.

And he's walking towards her. Her. The thirty tear old redhead who got stood up and hates coffee but loves coffeehouses. Or, at least, the idea of them. That cheesy, romantic comedy vibe she gets from sitting in them. Or, at least, she _got_ from them. The vibe kind of died ten minutes ago.

But he keeps walking, one hand stuffed in his jacket pocket, the other holding a tall cardboard cup. Probably filled with hot coffee, she thinks.

She's seen him before, when she'd entered the place and he'd been sat by the window. Like some brooding loner out of one of those romantic comedies that like to use coffeehouses as cheesy settings.

He stops on the opposite side of her table, tilts his head down to inspect her own cardboard cup and he looks up at her with a smile, "Nice to meet you, Chai Tea."

April's brow raises, the corner of her lip curling with a gentle smile in return.

"I'm Latte." He sits down, inviting himself to join her and his drink slides across the table.

"Hi?"

"Hey. That was a joke, by the way. I'm not actually called that." Jackson (she reads his name on his cup) confirms to clarify, grinning over at her.

"I didn't think you were?" She licks her bottom lip, mildly blushes because his gaze is just _that_intense. "I'm-"

"April, I know. I saw it on your drink."

"But you still called me Chai Tea?"

"That was my conversation starter. If I came up to you and called you April, you'd either run or hit me in the face. Wouldn't you?"

"Yeah… That would be weird." She agrees, nodding her head, hands cradling her tea. "And your name?" She already knew it, he knows. She looked at his cup.

"Jackson."

"It's lovely to meet you, Jackson."

"Nice to meet you, too, April." He smiles, sips his latte and licks his lips, copies her, "So, tea?"

"It's calming."

"You seem pretty calm to me?"

"Thanks to the tea."

"I see. I'm more of a coffee kind of guy myself."

"I can see that." She giggles softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Coffee isn't really my cup of tea."

Jackson smirks, watches the way her hazel eyes light up, "I see what you did there. You are a smart woman, April."

"I'm a surgeon, so…"

"Really? Me, too." He smiles again, and she swears her heart stops for a short, short second. How is he this easy to talk to?

"Yeah?"

"Yep. That's why I need the coffee."

"Latte." She corrects him, like adding the milk to the bean would make it any different, "I've never tried it."

He grabs his cup as she talks, brings it up to his lips and takes a long sip of the beverage before he tilts it toward her, "Would you like some?"

Somehow his voice has gone low, and deeper, and she's kind of losing her mind from the pressure of his eyes burning through her skull. No one person should be that damn… hot, while offering you a drink.

"No, thanks." She refuses, nodding her head down to her tea, "I wouldn't like it anyway. I'm kind of biased."

"Are you biased about Chinese food?"

"What?"

"Do you, you know, like Chinese food?"

"Are you asking me, or _asking_ me?"

"I'll let you decide that."

"You're _asking_ asking?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Okay."

"Great. Shall I pick you up here at seven?"

"At tea-time?" She teases charmingly, unable to help the smile that graces her face when he chuckles.

The vibe, the romantic comedy one she gets from sitting in coffeehouses, kind of came back.

He kind of fills an empty inbox.


	88. The Parents-to-be

**AU: Japril are struggling to have a child. For some reason, no matter how many times they try, they just can't seem to conceive. Finally, after what seems like forever, they finally get pregnant and they're completely thrilled. They spend the next few months preparing for the baby, getting the nursery ready, getting clothes ready, buying. They spend nights reading to and singing to April's belly, but in the third trimester they have a really messy micarriage.**

* * *

><p>"It'll happen. We just have to keep trying."<p>

He doesn't have a problem with trying. He could do it all day. With her, to her. But her skin is growing tired and she wants to grow, to hold.

She wants it to happen. She needs a life inside of her, and lives for it. Because she was taught to, because her mom told her that Kepner babies need nurturing. But it's hard to nurture something when there's nothing there to grow in the first place.

He doesn't have a problem with trying. He enjoys it, actually. He likes, loves, making love to his wife. He takes pride in the way she moans, gasps, sometimes cries. He appreciates the way she tells him she loves him, straight before and straight afterward. He likes saying it back.

But he would love it if he could give her a child.

So, he keeps trying.

It'll happen one day.

"Okay, I've got the Chinese food and that weird juice you wanted from that one place." He slides the items across the kitchen counter.

He shrugs his jacket off of him, tosses it over the back of one of the stools and leans down behind his wife to kiss her cheek, his hands softly grasping her shoulders.

"What's that?"

She looks up then, a small smile toying on her lips.

"April?"

She holds up the piece of white plastic, gently turning around to face him as he eyes the object.

"Did you pee on it already?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

He doesn't want to smile, not if it's too soon. He doesn't want to get his hopes up if it's wrong.

"It happened."

She beams, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into her, his head in the crook of her neck.

"Are you sure? You're sure, right?"

"Jackson, this is the fifth stick I've peed on today."

He doesn't believe in God, but he thanks Him. Metaphorically. Thank God.

"I thought we agreed on yellow?"

"I thought we said white?"

Both are neutral. Neither have a preference for boy or girl. Either one works.

"Half and half?"

"Half and half."

The colours. Their baby. It, he or she, will be one half of her, one half of him. Fifty percent mommy's little helper, fifty percent daddy's little kiddo.

It, he or shes, will have his eyes and her smile. A mixture of their complexions, a perfect combination of contrasting genes.

Fifty percent her, fifty percent him. One hundred percent them. One hundred percent theirs.

"Ducks or clowns?"

"Elephants."

She rolls her eyes, leans into him, smiles as his hand places itself against her six-month formed tummy.

Choosing curtains shouldn't be this complicated.

"Birds?"

"Pigeons."

"Shut up." She smacks his chest, melting into his side as he wraps his arms around her back and kisses her forehead.

"You can choose, but I'm not having clowns in my kid's room."

"Are you scared of clowns?" She giggles.

He rolls his eyes, "I'll have you know, clowns are one of the most feared things on the planet."

"Clowns are people, not things."

"They're freaking creepy, April."

"Okay. No clowns. Birds?"

"Pigeons."

"Don't make me hit you again."

He just laughs, pressing his lips to the top of her head again, "Sure."

"I don't understand."

It's crazy to think that one moment you can be picking out names and godfathers, and then the next you have nothing left to choose for.

How does that even happen? Why?

Who decided that helpless, still perfect yet mesmerising unborn human beings should be ripped from the Earth before they meet it?

She says that God had a plan, that it happened for a reason.

He doesn't see it that way. He doesn't, can't, believe that.

He sees it as an injustice, as some sort of cruel joke. It isn't fair, to either of them nor to their child, already lost before he was found.

He'd spent hours painting the walls of a blank room, building wardrobes and changing units and cribs. He'd spent days planning, organising, mapping stuff out for his future child.

They'd spent weeks going over names, deciding on themes for the nursery and colours for the decor.

It was only when they were settled, finally ready and maybe a little too welcoming, that fate decided to be a wicked bitch.

She thinks that it happened for a reason, that He had a plan.

He doesn't see it that way.

But he'll keep trying.


	89. The Walk-In-Oopsie

**AU: Jackson accidentally catches April masturbating. She doesn't notice she has an audience and continues what she's doing, including saying things like how much she wants him to fuck her. He finally pipes up, "You know, that could be arranged, if you'd like… "**

* * *

><p>He expects a silent apartment when he gets home.<p>

Alex was on a late shift, and April had said that she was visiting an old friend for the night.

So, of course, when he turns the key in the lock, and enters a what-should-have-been quiet apartment, the last thing he plans of hearing is moaning coming from the bathroom.

Jackson drops his key in the bowl beside the door, hangs up his jacket with a soft frown after shutting the front door.

There's a small smirk on his face as he nears the bathroom, clearly entertained by the idea of his uptight roommate letting loose in the bathtub.

"_Oh, Jesus_."

It turns out April Kepner wasn't so innocent after all, he jokes to himself, standing outside the door.

He doesn't want to come off as pervy. She's his best friend, and she's a freaking virgin for Christ's sake. He can't eavesdrop on her.

He turns to head off into the kitchen and let her finish until she calls out for him. Or, she doesn't?

"Jackson…"

Wait. Was she…? She was.

His brows raise then, and he turns back around towards the door.

Was she seriously picturing him? She had to be. She didn't know he was home. Why else would she freaking moan his name like that?

Does he enter, or does he let her finish whatever she's doing in there and then confront her? Or does he not bring it up? Should he just ignore it?

Granted, he's pictured her at least twice but he's never mentioned it. But this was different. This was April. He didn't even know she did that. Maybe he should-

"Please…"

His hand pushes against the door then, surprised to find that she'd left it open. She knew he'd be home that night, was she expecting him? This whole thing was so confusing.

"Uha…"

He can't help but lick his lips despite his head telling him not to at the sight of her.

She lies in the bathtub, one hand on the edge, the other slipped blow the bubbly water. Her chest is panting, her legs pulled up and her knees pushing up with a shiver above the level of the water. He's not surprised to find the mirrors steamed up, the heat in the room tense.

April chews on her bottom lip, and she would be grateful that her eyes are shut tight if she knew that he was watching her.

"I- can't… Fuck. Me. I-"

"That can be arranged."

It slips out before he can stop it, and he curses under his breath when her lashes flicker open.

"No."

"April-"

"No, no, no. You- You weren't supposed to be- Jackson!"

"Don't shout at me, you're the one getting freaky beneath the bubbles. Were you-? Were you _using me_?"

He can't help but smirk proudly when she shrinks below the eater and her face reddens, her cheeks turning s bright crimson colour.

"Can you leave?"

"Do you really want me to?"

"This is so embarrassing!"

He moves forward, closing the door behind him and leaning against it. After a second of watching her blush and sink below the bubbles, he takes tentative steps towards the bathtub.

His hands move to his shirt, slowly unbuttoning it and watching her the whole time, his gaze never leaving her bashful one.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you want me to do?"

He slips the shirt down his muscled arms, dropping it onto the damp floor and resting his hands on his hips.

The redhead swallows a breath, linking her ankles and pulling herself up into a sitting position with her hands, careful to keep her breasts covered from view.

"You-"

"Yeah."

"Please?"

"Okay."

She turns her attention away from him when he unbuckles his belt and unzips his jeans. They drop to the floor and his boxers follow.

"You sure?"

"Yes." She manages to squeak, eyes lifting to the ceiling as he slips in across from her, hands running along the sides of the tub to meet hers.

He intertwines their fingers, watching with a grin as she bites her bottom lip.

"What do you want me to do?"

"What I was doing."


	90. The Couch

**Japril smut on the couch after a long day of work when they're supposed to be watching a movie.**

* * *

><p>"Nobody knows, right?"<p>

"I don't think anyone suspects anything, Babe. Don't worry about it."

His lips against the pulse of her neck do little to reassure her, "You don't think, or you know?"

"I know that nobody knows." Jackson smirks, hands running down her waist and unbuttoning the from of her jeans as he slides down her body.

They've been married for a good week or so, secretly, that is. And married life suits them well. Sneaking around, stealing kisses and glances from afar while they're at work, swanning off to on-call rooms to lock doors and keep everybody else out.

"I still-"

His pulls down the zipper of her tight jeans just then, beginning to drag the garment down her legs, "April?"

"Yeah?" Her brows raise and she bites her lip, fingertips tapping his shoulders as he moves above her, and she pushes herself further back into the couch cushions.

"Stop talking." He tells her, a small grin on his face as she pouts childishly, and he kisses her lips, taking away her soft giggle.

"But… the movie." She nods her head toward the television and he rolls his eyes. Whatever that movie was has really lost all appeal right now.

She waits until her slips her jeans from her body before she pulls him closer, wrapping her legs around his torso and caressing the back of his head with her hands as he traces his mouth down her chest.

"I like this."

"Me, too."


	91. The Partition

**Japril drabble based on the song 'Partition' by Beyoncé.**

* * *

><p>The first time he's around when she sees him, her hands can't help but move. Up and across. Twisting, twirling as her legs bend.<p>

She's not like this. She's not this person. But the music is taking over her body and her soul and apparently her steps.

_Boy this all for you just walk my way. Just tell me how its lookin' babe._

He comes in for a bachelor party the first time. His friend's, but he's the one who buys the extra dance. And it's not for his friend.

"Me?"

"You."

She raises a brow, tucks a strand of fallen red hair behind her ear and leads him away. She smirks as he follows her, and she can feel his eyes on her ass.

"You do this often?"

"Never." He informs her after she ushers him into a secluded room and shoves him down on a chair.

His hands find her thighs after a short second, her fingertips grazing the sides of his face.

"Me neither."

She admits, fluttering her eyelashes and licking her stained lips. It's a red colour, one that just so happens to contrast perfectly with her pale skin. It's perfected, and rehearsed.

Her teeth tug on her bottom lip as she leans down, palms running down his chest, stepping closer to him. She stands above him, holding a breath and tilting her head to the side when his hands run down her legs and behind her knees.

She notices his eyes more than anything. The bright green colour won't leave her gaze and she refuses to let it. She pulls a leg up at his side, allowing his palm to curve around her knee to her inner thigh.

The intensity in his eyes is strong and she keeps a steady rhythm as she straddles his lap, dropping herself down onto him and running her hands along the back of his neck.

She doesn't do this. She isn't this person. She dances, and smiles. She doesn't let people touch her.

But she's not herself right now. She's someone else.

* * *

><p><em>Now my mascara running, red lipstick smudged. Oh, he so horny, he want to fuck. He bucked all my buttons, he ripped my blouse. He Monica Lewinski'd all on my gown.<em>

It goes on for awhile. He invites her out. She accepts. They have dinner, or at least they plan to. She lets him fuck her in the back of the limo.

She isn't this person, though she tends to slip when she's around him.

They somehow make it through a comfortable meal before she assaults him in the back seat, tossing her bag down on the carpeted ground. She shimmies down before him, right hand locking onto his knee as she unzips his pants.

And then she's on him, like a cat with a fresh bowl of milk. She licks her tongue over him, down him, and her lashes flicker with every shake of his breath. She needs it, thrives on it, on him. Like she has to, needs to, wants to. Maybe it's a requirement. Maybe because she's a woman she's supposed to do these things for a man and enjoy them. And she does. She enjoys them. She enjoys sex. With him. Given he's all that she's experienced, of course.

When she comes back up, he doesn't waste a second before pulling her on top of him, dragging the edge of her dress up her thighs to rest around her waist. He slips his large hands beneath her gown and he pulls her lace panties down her body before she can react. Her breath hitches when he presses kisses to her neck and chest, teeth nibbling at her flesh and tongue tracing her creamy skin.

His fingers slide up her naked flesh, shiver her bones and ignite her insides.

And she enjoys it, loves it. Because she's a woman, and she's allowed to.

* * *

><p><em>He like to call me Peaches when we get this nasty.<em>

It's her hair. That's what he tells her when they lie semi-awake in bed at night.

She's in character and she runs her lips across his caramel skin, gently tracing patterns with her fingertips down his spine.

_Peaches._

It's her red hair, and her pink lips, and the mixture of both that haunts him at night, that keeps him up in the hope that she'll maybe love him back.

She bites down on her lower lip at one point, letting him study every inch of her body with his mouth.

He does it so delicately and beautifully and she loves it, almost loves him as much.

He makes her quiver, and moan, and she can honestly feel her lung ache at the screams he brings out of her.

* * *

><p>She gives in her job a week after. He's loaded, doesn't want her doing what she's doing. He wants her. For himself. And she complies.<p>

How could she not? She loves the sex, almost as much as she loves him.

_Le sexe. Je veux dire, l'activité physique. Le coït. Tu aimes ça?_

Il l'aime. Mais elle l'aime plus.

Elle n'est qu'une femme, après tout.


	92. The Kama Sutra

**Japril trying positions from the Kama Sutra.**

* * *

><p>"So you just…"<p>

"Yeah, just move your leg over my arm."

He doesn't sound all that sure for someone more experienced than her.

"Like this?" She sounds out of breath and she huffs, blowing her falling red hair out of her face.

He squints, eyes the textbook beside her thigh, "Nah, that doesn't look right."

"You're not helping!"

"Well, neither are you! You read the damn book, April!" He picks it up in his hand, tosses it onto the other side of her twisted body.

Her hazel eyes flicker across the page and she has to bite her bottom lip to keep from giggling with a mild blush, "It says you need to… thrust downwards."

"Downwards?! I'm lay on my side on our bed, Babe, where would you like me to do that?"

She shrugs, her right shoulder grazing against his knee. "I don't know! I thought you'd done this before?!"

"No, no! Never done this before." He informs her in a heavy breath. He's had sex a fair amount for a guy of his age and looks and whatever else is attractive to the average woman. But he's never, not once, ever found himself in a situation where the woman's right leg is dangling over his bicep and he can practically feel her lungs with his thigh.

"Well, I don't know what I'm doing, Jackson!"

"Me, neither."

She perks her head up after a moment of silence, peeking back over at him, "Shower?"

"Kitchen."


	93. The School Newbies

**Japril taking their child to their first day of school.**

* * *

><p>"Did you pack her pencils?"<p>

"They're right in her backpack. Along with that nasty looking peanut butter and jelly sandwich you made this morning."

She rolls her eyes, swats him arm once. April glances down at their daughter, stood in front of them with a Dore the Explorer backpack and a teddy bear in her hands, waiting patiently for them to let go.

"And her juice?"

"Next to the sandwich."

"What about her hand sanitizer? You know how she gets when people touch her stuff."

"I know. It's in the front pocket. She knows it's in the front pocket."

"And the colouring book your mom bought her?"

"April."

"What?"

He raises a brow, wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side, "Let go of her hand."

"But, I don't-"

"Look at her, she wants to go." He nods down at their daughter.

She's chewing on her lip and sweeping her eyes across the colourful room, clearly eager to get inside and leave her parents behind.

"Fine."

"Let go of her hand." He repeats, watches as the redhead he married five years ago finally lets the little girl's hand free.

They watch for a second as she runs off, dropping her bag to the ground and directly sitting down beside a boy with some paint.

"I hate you."

"You love me."

"I do. You gave me her."

"Well, technically, _you_ gave _me_ her."

"Shut up."


	94. The Expecting Glow

**April is pregnant and playing with Jackson's hair as he kisses her tummy.**

* * *

><p>"I like your hair like this."<p>

"Enjoy it while you still can, April, I'm getting rid of it in the morning."

She pouts, runs her palm across his head ahead, spreading her fingers through his small curls.

"I hope this little guy has your hair."

He laughs, leans down again and kisses her stomach for the twentieth time that evening. "I hope he doesn't."

"It's cute!"

"It's going."

She tosses her head back down against her pillows and giggles when he lifts up the edge of her top to kiss her bare stomach.

"I didn't peg you for the kind of guy who does this."

"Oh, really?" He hooks his thumbs down the sides of her pyjama pants. "What kind of guy did you peg me as?"

She shrugs, "Not this."

He grins then, "That was so descriptive, thanks."

They remain in silence for a few more moments, her hand running over his short curls and his lips pressed against her growing stomach.

"Don't get rid of it."

"It's going."

"Fine. But I'm gonna pray every night that our son inherits your hair."

"Great."


	95. The Criminal Lovers

**AU: April and Jackson as Bonnie and Clyde.**

* * *

><p>"Did that just happen?"<p>

"You punching that idiot in the face? Yeah, I think so."

She grins and he smiles proudly.

They've been doing this for a while. Stealing cars, though only one in particular is their prized possession. Robbing banks, because his trust fund expired long ago and they have needs, cravings.

The best is when they've just done something so lively, so awakening that they can feel their hearts race.

She tends to run her hands down his arms, grasping his elbows.

He tends to kiss her, all tongue and teeth and bruised lips.

They're swollen, and his ego is huge and she's a spark of energy, a firecracker.

She's his fuse.

"I love you so much." Her hands claw at the sides of his neck, fingers curling around the base of his skull.

His lips peck hers once, twice, three times, before he rests his forehead against hers and backs her up against the hood of their car.

"Me, too."

"Let's get out of here." She falls for it, for his green eyes and his handsome smile, and she's right back where she started.

Only now they're married, and probably a national danger, and she can't get enough of him the same way he won't ever grow bored of her.

* * *

><p>She's his fuse, and she's there until the lights go out.<p>

One minute they're alone, in their precious car, secluded and on the run. The next, they aren't so alone and there's a bullet lodged between his lungs and blood dripping down her face from the collision.

If this is the end, then at least they're going out with a bang, together. The way they have since she was seventeen and he was reckless and they needed an escape. The same way in which they loved each other; insanely and madly, but all too greatly.

The same way a match can light a candle but not extinguish it, can start a small fire but not blow it out. Only their fire isn't small, and matches are useless, and their love is greater than any other kind of reaction.

"I love you, Jackson."

"Me, too."

She smiles briefly, and he tries to reach out for her, tries to grasp her hand before his strength gives in.

"Me and you."


	96. The Perfect Strand

**April has acquired an awkward curly lock of hair because Jackson always twirls it around his finger when he's bored.**

* * *

><p>There's one specific strand of hair he can't get enough of.<p>

It hangs by her face, cradles her rosy cheek and he's always somehow caught running his fingers through it, down it, anytime she lies with him.

It's strange, to think that he'd ever care about someone, one person, so much, that he'd ever love one single human being so much.

But he does, and he has, probably before their wedding a couple of hours ago, probably for a long time.

His hand runs up and down her arm as she turns to lie atop of him, face pushing into him and kissing his chest. He can't help but do it, cup the side of her face and sweep that perfect strand of red hair away as he does so.

"I love you."

It might have been the amazing sex, or maybe the afterglow and the look on her face, but he almost never wants to leave this moment, this hotel, this state. And it's only almost because he'd kind of like to repeat it elsewhere for the rest of his life.

"I love you, too."

This is perfect. This moment, this small fragment of time. She's perfect, and they are, together. And that small, crinkled, curly strand of red hair that hangs loosely beside her brow enchants him. Much like she does.


	97. The Sexiversary

**Jackson surprises April with a cupcake to celebrate their sexiversary.**

* * *

><p>He knows she likes raspberry flavoured cake more than anything.<p>

She'd told him so a few months ago, back when he purchased a perfect little cake for their make-shift, make-do wedding, and he'd let her choose the flavouring and icing.

She likes raspberry flavoured sponge, with buttercream frosting. And he likes it too because he loves her.

"What is that?" She waves a hand over at him, eyes focusing on the pink cardboard box in his hand. It's a small cube, definitely not big enough for a big cake.

He smirks, slides the box across the kitchen counter before he throws his jacket down across the back of one of the stools. "What does it look like?"

April admires it carefully, slowly tucks a finger beneath the lid to flip it open, "Is that-" She pauses, licks her lips. "What is this for?"

Jackson smiles, smug grin on his lips as he rounds the island in the middle of their kitchen to stand beside her.

She frowns, brows knitted as she lifts the small cupcake up into the palm of her hand, stares down at the unlit candle.

Before she can register anything more, he pulls a box of matches from his back pocket, burns one up quickly to light the white candle stuck in the middle of the baby pink frosting.

"Am I forgetting something?"

"Happy sexiversary." The green-eyed surgeon grins, tugs his lower lip between his teeth as he stares down at his wife's face.

"Sexiv-" She tilts her head to one side, places the cupcake down to swat his arm lightly, "Jackson! Did you seriously remember the date of the first time we had sex?" She perks a brow, turns to face him entirely, hands running up his chest.

"Are you telling me you didn't?"

"Of course I did, I just- I didn't know you had." She admits softly, leans her head against his shoulder and drops her gaze back onto the flaming candle.

"Great, then we can celebrate." He reaches a hand past her to pick up the desert, holds it out in front of her, cradled in his hands. "Make a wish."

She glances up at him through long lashes, thanks her fate for giving her that night in San Francisco two years ago, "I don't need to."


	98. The Diaper Debacle

**The joys of parenthood with their baby boy.**

* * *

><p>"He's crying again!"<p>

"Did you feed him?" He shouts out from across the living room, hoping his wife will hear him from the nursery.

April picks up little Everett from the crib, walks down the long hallway to join her husband by the window. "Yeah." She breathes with a sigh, runs a hand across the baby's head smoothly, "I think he pooped again."

"Well, can you change him? I'm kind of busy doing the first thing you asked me to do."

Jackson nods his head towards the window leading out onto the balcony, eyes leading her gaze towards the locks and bolts and other mechanical items on the floor.

Safety proofing the apartment was his job of the day apparently.

"I did it last time." She points out anyway, holds Everett out for him to take.

He drops the white plastic key in his hand, pulls his son from her hold gently. "You wanna finish doing this, then?" He grins, lifting the boy up to his face, "Hey bud- Wow, you stink!"

The redheaded trauma surgeon smirks, pulls an elastic band from her wrist and drags her hair into a messy bun. "Told you so."

"Are the diapers-"

She nods, watching him walk off back down the hallway, "On the changing unit."

"And the cream-"

"Next to the diapers."

He thanks her from a room away, heads into the nursery and places Everett down on the top of the changing mat. He keeps a hand pressed lightly against his belly while reaching for a fresh diaper.

"I bet you don't make this kind of smell when it's mommy's turn, do you?"

He squints his eyes at the two-month old, a small growing grin on his lips when the baby smiles.

"That's a no, I take it."

A moment passes before he hears April call out from the living room, "Jackson!"

"Yeah?"

"This is too complicated!"

"You wanna trade? I'll do that and you change him?" He shouts back, tone not too loud as to not frighten his son.

He can hear her giggle to herself from his stand by the changing unit, and he shakes his head when she replies.

"No. I'll just wait until you've finished." She tells him, coming to stand in the doorway of the nursery, arms folded over her chest proudly as she watches the scene in front of her.

Jackson smirks, turns his head to face her as he pulls the dirty diaper out from under the boy's bottom. "Of course you will."


	99. The Life

**April thinking that the baby drama is divine punishment for leaving Matthew and Stephanie, and Jackson talking her through it.**

* * *

><p>"Do you-" She begins, pauses to take a breath when his hands reaches over the small lunch table to cover her own, "Do you think maybe this is happening for reason?"<p>

Jackson frowns, knits his brows as he stares down at his warm cup of coffee, "What do you mean?"

The redhead lowers her gaze, chews the inside of her bottom lip as she gathers her thoughts.

She knows that he probably doesn't, can't, feel the same way. He sees things differently than she does. He sees the world for what it actually is, doesn't try to find the small silver linings the same way she does.

She believes in fate, in destiny, in the idea that things don't just fall randomly into our laps. Everything happens for a reason, a purpose, to give new meaning to an already known phenomenon.

"I just-" April slouches back in the cafeteria chair, tucks her hand out from under his own, taps her fingertips against the surface of the table, "I can't help but think that maybe this is just…" She breathes, frowns when he looks up at her in confusion, "Maybe this is God's payback for selfish."

"April," Jackson shakes his head, clears his throat, "That's not-" He cuts himself short.

He's trying to understand her more, trying to see her side of things to a certain degree. He attends church, and lets her pray, and he'll listen to her when she whispers to herself, to Him, begs for a better world.

He's trying, but there's only so much he can handle.

"I don't think your God would be that cruel, April." He chooses his words carefully.

It's her God that she believes in, not his. He doesn't have one, doesn't like the notion of letting an empowered but unseen force play the game of his life like a puppet master.

He doesn't have a God, but he's willing to accept hers if she needs him to.

"But we hurt people." She reminds him, the corners of her lips turning up, "We hurt people, Jackson. We sinned."

"I don't know why this happened," He sighs a heavy breath, swallows a sharp intake of the cold hospital air.

He runs a hand down the back of his head before rolling up the sleeves of his sweater to his elbows. "Okay? There's a lot of crap in this world, April, and I don't have answers for most of it. But this? This isn't fate playing some cruel joke on us, on you. This is…"

He blinks a few times, glances around them for a moment before his now deep green eyes land back on her own, voice as low as it had been two seconds ago, "This is life, and crap, and I can't do anything about it. I don't have answers, babe, but I do know that this isn't revenge." He shakes his head, lets her be the one to grasp his hand this time, "We weren't selfish, April. We were human. This is just life."

Her fingers tighten around his hand then, her wedding ring pressing deeply into his flesh, a reminder of their act of weakness.

"Thank you." April brightens up softly, flutters long lashes up at him, her breath steadier than it was a few moments ago.

He smiles over at her, trying not to let their small but intimate interaction override the impending fate of their test results. "You're welcome."


	100. The Non-Date Date

**Set during 9x05. What's happening between Japril before Jackson has to come back to the hospital.**

* * *

><p>It's not a date night.<p>

They aren't dating, they aren't anything other than best friends with very nice benefits who occasionally have dinner before they have sex.

It is not a date night.

But dinner's over and it's time for the after-meal special.

"Did you talk to Meredith today?" April asks him, slides a spoonful of chocolate mousse past her lips.

Jackson stares at her, at the spoon, though he tries to be discreet about it, "Yeah. She tried to pawn Zola off of on me. I got out of it."

They're sat at the island in his kitchen, her bag and jacket thrown by the front door and his everything everywhere.

She bats her eyelashes, slowly dips her spoon back into the dessert, "Is that why you're here now?"

He nods once, rounds the corner of the counter until he reaches, hands grasping her shoulders gently.

She stills her hand, tilts her head back to look up at him from below, smiles sweetly. "What?"

"You look way too good eating that."

"This?" Her brows raise and she brings the dessert up to his eye level. "It's delicious."

"That's because I made it."

"You made it?" She finds that a little hard to believe, especially since he once relied upon her own cooking and baking skills. "Is that because you're an Avery?" She grins, holds up the spoon against his lips as she waits for a reply.

"Yeah." Jackson laughs, wraps his fingers around her hand and lowers the spoon away and onto the counter. "Let go."

"But I wanted to finish it." April protests with a slight frown, staring back at the mousse as he pulls her up from the seat.

"Well, I want to finish you."

She gasps then, nostrils flaring when he slips a hand around the base of her neck, pulling her face closer to his own to kiss her, corrupt her a little bit more.

Her hands fly to his chest, small fingernails scraping down the front of his thin sweater. Why does he have to be so damn hot? And sweet? And perfect? And her best friend, of all things?

"I wanna-" The trauma surgeon begins, pulling her lips away from his with a gentle slop.

His brows knit, his hands moving to her waist, "You want to what?"

"I want-" She shrugs her shoulders, lets a pleasing shiver run down her spine at the thought, "I want you to be in me." She shakes her head softly, at a loss of what she should have said to be more clear.

"In you? Like-"

"Yes. In me. Breathe in me. Be in me." She takes a deep breath, gives him them vulnerable and innocent eyes like she wants tainting, "Please, Jackson?"

"Breathe- I can do that." He agrees after a moment's hesitation, mostly just to understand what it was she truly wanted.

"Yeah?"

He doesn't reply, instead just moves a hand down between her legs and slides open the zipper of her jeans. She hiccups, stares up at the pristine ceiling as he lowers her pants to the floor, tugging her small lace panties down afterward.

He picks her up by the waist then, lifts her onto the kitchen side and pushes her abandoned chocolate dessert out of sight. His palms meet her knees, spreading her legs open in front of him. "Like this?"

She nods slowly, dropping her eyes down onto his face cautiously. "Yeah."

He gets to work on her then, lips pressed against her fragile flesh and tongue tracing her tender crevices. It's new, for her, for him on her. She likes it, enjoys it a little bit more when he sucks, licks, ruins her.

"More." She runs a hand down to hold onto the back of his head, keeping him tighter.

"Alri-" He gets cut off by the sound of his pager going off in the living room.

Her lips part then, mouth widening in disbelief. Her chest pants, her elbows shaky beneath her, "What-"

Jackson moves away from her, drops his head to her thigh for a second's thought. He groans, kisses her soft skin quickly before pulling away entirely, handing her the forgotten panties on the floor.

She stares after him in shock, her body somewhere between heaven and hell. Is this what she gets for being a sinner?

"Damn interns!"


	101. The Ride

**Set during 9x18. April's thoughts about sex with Jackson, comparing him to the Tilt-a-Whirl and such.**

* * *

><p>He's like the Tilt-a-Whirl, right?<p>

Well, technically, he isn't. Sex _with him_ is.

It's the feeling she likes best.

When he's wild, kind of rough, when he doesn't want to waste time shedding clothing.

She likes it when he pins her against the wall, when his hands are on her like feathers in glue.

She likes it when lifts her from that wall, and slams into a door. When she has to stop because her back is digging into the doorknob and he chuckles, rubs her back. It's soft, but it isn't.

She loves it when his hands are running through her hair as they move, when his lips are against her skin, everywhere and anywhere, like he can't get enough of the way she is.

She loves it when he flips them over, when he willingly lies beneath her and lets her dominate him. She loves taking control, letting her hips move against his, instead of his against hers.

She likes the way he kisses her, nibbles at her, teases her, likes the way she sounds when he brings her closer to the verge of sexual heaven.

She enjoys the way he makes her feel. Emotionally, physically, getting under her skin, under his own.

She loves it when she rides him, like a passenger rides a rollercoaster and experiences a high, a surge of adrenaline. He makes her feel that way.

He drives her wild, sex with him makes her insane.

"I have ridden the rides, and they are good!"

Very, very good.


	102. The Floored First Time

**The first time they have sex after returning home from Lake Tahoe.**

* * *

><p>They get back home to his, their, apartment, on the weekend. He carries her over the threshold despite her protests.<p>

They're in their own little bubble, where sex is passionate and champagne bottles are popped and shiny wedding bands glisten.

They're in a bubble, one he has to temporarily break to change the bed sheets and covers, and remove all traces of his now ex-girlfriend.

It's a little awkward when April wants to get comfortable, get settled, and he has to spend a good two hours or so cleaning up what he's trying to forget.

They unpack, because she's gonna live here now, and eat. They don't drink this time: celebratory champagne is no longer necessary. They aren't two fools who just eloped anymore, they're man and wife, newlyweds.

They need, want, sex, space, time.

They spend the first night, back home that is, on his living room floor. There's none of that cheesy, we-need-to-spend-our-first-night-in-the-bed nonsense. They've done nothing but lie and roll around in a bed (and stand in a shower) for the last two days.

He drinks a beer, the way he usually does at home, she sips water because she's a little worn out from the journey even though he was the one driving all the way from their Lake Tahoe hotel.

They curl up on the couch at first, until she kisses him and claws at his sweater.

He moves against her, grasps her hips and lays her down on the sofa cushions. Hovering over her body, he trails his mouth down from her lips to her neck, nipping and suckling at her flesh.

April moans, rests her palms against his chest, fingers creasing the material of his top. She quickly lifts up the bottom, and he shuffles to raise it over his head, dropping it onto the floor beside them carelessly.

His hands make their way down to her knees, pulling her legs apart and wedging himself between them, to which she gasps and throws her head back, lowering her hands to the waist of his jeans.

She pushes against his abdomen then, and he knowingly moves onto the floor, letting her clumsily fall on top of him.

Her hands rest on either side of his head, a grin playing on her lips. She licks them, flicks her gaze between his chest and eyes. "Hello, husband."

"Hi, wife." He chuckles, wraps his hands around her waist to sit her up, her thighs straddling his waist and she lifts her arms to remove her shirt.

She tosses it aside, leaving her in a simple white bra as he unzips her pants, tugging them down her legs with her panties hurriedly.

She kicks them off, lets her hands wander down to his waist slowly, fingertip tapping against his tanned flesh rhythmically.

"What have we got down here?" Jackson reaches up to push a strand of hair behind her ear with a smirk when she quips, teases him, pops open the button of his jeans.

April licks her lips before she slips her hands down his pants, drags the strained material down his legs, leaves him to shuffle them off. She plucks up the top of the waistband of his boxers, perks a brow innocently.

She bites her lower lip, lets her darkened hazel eyes drift over to his now deep green ones. "Well?"

"April." He breathes, eyes closing when she slips a hand down the waistband, wraps her fingers around his length.

She's definitely a lot more adventurous since they're married. And he'd been relieved to hear that her fumbling around with her former fiancé had never really gotten very far.

She was his, he was hers. It was as simple as that.

"Yes, husband?" She bats her long lashes, leans down to kiss him, moans softly when he smothers her mouth with his own, deepens the kiss as he turns them over, now lingering above her.

He pulls his boxers down his legs and kicks them aside before he reaches behind her for the clasp of her bra. She giggles when he takes a second to snap it open, but her laughter turns to a gentle sob when it flings aside and he takes a breast between his lips, sharp teeth marking her soft skin.

"Oh."

"Yes, wife?"

Jackson earns a smack on the arm for that one, but he brushes it off, smirks triumphantly as he wraps his hands around the backs of her knees, pulling her legs wide apart and keeping his hold tight against her as she writhes.

"Can you-" April stops, letting her eyes close as she breathes out, chest heavy and moans quiet.

He leans down, presses kisses down her chest, never letting go of her spread knees, glancing up at her with dangerous eyes, "Can I what?" His eyes squint and he watches as she swallows a breath, neck muscles tightening when he moves down between her legs. "Tell me what you want."

"Please." She begs in a sob, moves a hand down to him, cups the back of his head as he presses hi tongue against her warm centre. "I-"

"April." He pulls away slightly, lets his breath linger against her fragile skin, "What do you want me to do to you?"

"Everything." She whispers gently, teeth immediately digging into her bottom lip when he moves back up her body, lips to her jaw as he enters her in one swift motion.

She gasps at the sudden sensation, clamps her hands around his biceps tightly. Her hazel eyes open, meeting his lowered ones passionately.

She smiles through her cries, keeps her head tilted back against the hardwood floor, ignores the aching in her back in favour of the growing pleasure everywhere else.

"Like that?" He husks, moves his face down to her chest, drags his teeth across her creamy flesh,

"Uh huh." She nods, swallows a hard breath, struggles to find air as he continues to pound into her, large hands bruising the flesh the way she lets him, wants him to. It's rougher than usual, but she's definitely not going to complain. She likes it.


End file.
